Written quite some time back on Republic Day, I kind of got an urge to post this tonight.
Republic Day of India.
Sixty glorious years since Dr. Rajendra Prasad signed the Constitution that allowed India to think on it's own two feet. After all, what's Independence without a way to govern. Sixty years since the nation handed over power to it's people, the very citizens who gave their love, life and blood for the elusive bird called freedom. Such devotion towards the country was rewarded with the power to choose who governed them. Sounds just about perfect doesn't it?
Well, we've come a long long way from that "One nation one voice" era. That one resounding, resonating voice of a nation has now been split into a thousand individual voices screaming to gain control, to be heard over the ear-splitting din. What is a Republic really? Is it the best way to govern a country - to let the people decide who gets to call the shots; Or is it just a simple enough way of knowing whose shoulder to rest your gun on?
Corruption abounds, about fifty percent of our elected representatives, according to media reports, apparently have some shady past records. That's every other MLA or other politician that you vote for. And those who don't are slowly being dragged into the mess. Secular state...Fifty different sects fight for their own share of the country. Then where does the country go?
That's just the cynical me talking, but what's to refute in my argument? Twenty one years since I was born and the only two songs that I hear every year, twice a year(dummies read Republic Day and Independence Day) are "Aye Mere Watan Ke Logon" by Lata Mangeshkar and "Vande Mataram" by Rahman. Where's the new-age, ultra-aware youth-oriented music industry? This year is the first time I've heard of a song being declared a nationalist patriotic song that everyone should stand up to. You know which one I think is the true song of the nation?
This one.
And the latest song above is a remake of this. Seriously guys, there's a lot more creativity and initiative in the music industry to do more than one remake in twenty years.
Anyway, enough dissing my country...with all the love that I wrote the Independence Day post, I truly think, with all the quirks, our country is the greatest.
Where else would you find a Muslim, a Hindu, A Sikh and a Parsi living their years separated by just a brick wall, and sometimes not even that.
Where else would you see a palace built in memory of the love of your life?
Where else will you find the largest gathering of people in the world, once a year?
Where else do you find the answer to life in four compendiums?
Where else in the world do you find 18 scheduled languages, 114 other languages, 216 mother tongues,96 non specified languages, and totally up to 10000 languages spoken by people, yet roaring with one voice when one man comes to the crease with a bat?
Where else would you find the world's most efficient Six-Sigma (one error in SIX MILLION!) coveted by a bunch of guys delivering home-made food?
Oh the list can go on, and on, and on! It's not for nothing that they say, Saare Jahaan Se Achha, Hindustan Humaara!
Republic Day of India.
Sixty glorious years since Dr. Rajendra Prasad signed the Constitution that allowed India to think on it's own two feet. After all, what's Independence without a way to govern. Sixty years since the nation handed over power to it's people, the very citizens who gave their love, life and blood for the elusive bird called freedom. Such devotion towards the country was rewarded with the power to choose who governed them. Sounds just about perfect doesn't it?
Well, we've come a long long way from that "One nation one voice" era. That one resounding, resonating voice of a nation has now been split into a thousand individual voices screaming to gain control, to be heard over the ear-splitting din. What is a Republic really? Is it the best way to govern a country - to let the people decide who gets to call the shots; Or is it just a simple enough way of knowing whose shoulder to rest your gun on?
Corruption abounds, about fifty percent of our elected representatives, according to media reports, apparently have some shady past records. That's every other MLA or other politician that you vote for. And those who don't are slowly being dragged into the mess. Secular state...Fifty different sects fight for their own share of the country. Then where does the country go?
That's just the cynical me talking, but what's to refute in my argument? Twenty one years since I was born and the only two songs that I hear every year, twice a year(dummies read Republic Day and Independence Day) are "Aye Mere Watan Ke Logon" by Lata Mangeshkar and "Vande Mataram" by Rahman. Where's the new-age, ultra-aware youth-oriented music industry? This year is the first time I've heard of a song being declared a nationalist patriotic song that everyone should stand up to. You know which one I think is the true song of the nation?
This one.
And the latest song above is a remake of this. Seriously guys, there's a lot more creativity and initiative in the music industry to do more than one remake in twenty years.
Anyway, enough dissing my country...with all the love that I wrote the Independence Day post, I truly think, with all the quirks, our country is the greatest.
Where else would you find a Muslim, a Hindu, A Sikh and a Parsi living their years separated by just a brick wall, and sometimes not even that.
Where else would you see a palace built in memory of the love of your life?
Where else will you find the largest gathering of people in the world, once a year?
Where else do you find the answer to life in four compendiums?
Where else in the world do you find 18 scheduled languages, 114 other languages, 216 mother tongues,96 non specified languages, and totally up to 10000 languages spoken by people, yet roaring with one voice when one man comes to the crease with a bat?
Where else would you find the world's most efficient Six-Sigma (one error in SIX MILLION!) coveted by a bunch of guys delivering home-made food?
Oh the list can go on, and on, and on! It's not for nothing that they say, Saare Jahaan Se Achha, Hindustan Humaara!
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