26th January 2010, Bharath’s 60th Republic Day. The mark of a significant event in the political history of our country.
I received a sizeable number of messages that read “Happy Republic Day”-concerned friends wishing me happiness on Republic Day, quite akin to the “happiness” wished unfailingly on the eve of every New Year and New Year day (and a few days there after which, in all probability spans over an entire month). We also have “happiness” wished blindly on Holi, Deepavali, Makarasankranthi, Onam & Navarathri (both festivals offering 10 days of perennial happiness), Vishu, Ramzan …… the list is endless.
Merriness pervaded Christmas season, but of late the same dreaded “happiness” has seized it by force and dethroned it! The package that originally warbled “Merry Christmas and Happy New Year” now drones “Happy Christmas & Happy New Year”. Never to be left out, the New Year eve and day have channels proclaiming wildly, promises of “happiness” with latest movies, whole lot of artificial reality shows, boring comedies and what not!! Is that what “happiness” is all about? Isn’t every fresh day a new year in some way or the other?
Not to be left behind, we have days for fathers, mothers, brothers,sisters, uncles, aunts,nephews, nieces,lovers ,neighbours, shopkeepers, customers and many more classes freshly given the "happiness" tag. Since most days of the calendar are free, why don't we bring in festivals and days from Japan and China and Russia and other nations and allot them as well? That would bless us with 365 days of euphoria.
Privileges of being part of a bandwagon – the disarray of being surfeited and satiated with happiness!
Our own Independence Day is not spared. There are the nauseous “Happy Independence Day” messages dispersed over mobile phone in-boxes. But have we, as responsible citizens, ever stopped for a moment to think about any single factor that makes us “happy” on the day? Of course, freedom from the Western imperialists is definitely something providential. I could be branded as a boring nanny, but do we actually need to sing and dance like giddy headed goats to depict the joy of independence?
Shouldn’t we - each of us, from a new born infant to an elderly soul, as responsible citizens, put an end to the celebratory outlook that has seized the Independence Day of late and replace it with a mind-set of solemn observance alone, in all seriousness with due respect to the million lives laid down, both in deference and innocence? Priceless lives that remain the only reason why we, citizens of the present generation misuse, what is known as freedom. Have we paused to think if we, as a society, are independent in the very spirit of expression?
Pages of history will inform us that Bharath won her right to self rule from British domination on 15th August 1947. Many countries have won their civil rights from other dictating nations, but that never constitutes real freedom. Political autonomy is only a fragment of liberty. Man must, wherever he is on this beautiful earth, learn to free himself from fear and its manifested forms that lead to self floating bubbles of greed, lust, avarice which in turn steers one to a very evident form – terror.
Shouldn’t we - each of us, from a new born infant to an elderly soul, as responsible citizens, put an end to the celebratory outlook that has seized the Independence Day of late and replace it with a mind-set of solemn observance alone, in all seriousness with due respect to the million lives laid down, both in deference and innocence? Priceless lives that remain the only reason why we, citizens of the present generation misuse, what is known as freedom. Have we paused to think if we, as a society, are independent in the very spirit of expression?
Pages of history will inform us that Bharath won her right to self rule from British domination on 15th August 1947. Many countries have won their civil rights from other dictating nations, but that never constitutes real freedom. Political autonomy is only a fragment of liberty. Man must, wherever he is on this beautiful earth, learn to free himself from fear and its manifested forms that lead to self floating bubbles of greed, lust, avarice which in turn steers one to a very evident form – terror.
Looking at our own selves- are the civilians of Bharat free from the shackles of superstitious beliefs? As an entire society are we free from the pangs of hunger? Does sleep pervade over every single living being as a soothing balm, without being accompanied by a sense of insecurity – insecurity brought about by a dread of being robbed, raped or murdered? Don’t we have a repulsive feeling of still being helplessly dominated by a bunch of political hypocrites who have proclaimed themselves as rulers? I could go on and on, but that will never change the system.
Wishing that some time in the near moments or the remote future every son and daughter of the soil would consider the days that commemorate our Independence and declaration of the country as a Republic as periods to be “observed”, that too the right way, with amplitude measure of reverence and respect to the mother land. I wish we use, at the least, these days to evaluate ourselves as children of a nation divine, now bereft of her grandeur and ethos. Let us pledge to honour these days to assess our contribution, elfin or immense, in rebuilding the lost glory. I wish that the children of Bharat Mata would not “celebrate” the Independence and Republic Days with incessant burst of crackers that would remind one of war zone areas or with drunken revelry in the fashion of Greek Maenads.
I shall never forget one of those nights that ushered in a brand new year spent with my sister’s family. Little Arjun was with us for his holidays. All of us – my chechi, sleepy eyed chettan, the three monkeys who happen to be my nephews(Akash & Anu included) and I sat by the river side right behind my uncle’s home braving potent attacks from mosquitoes. All because the monkeys wanted to see how the sky and earth would appear when the so called fresh point of time made its entry. Of course they never witnessed the year making its appearance draped in silk, but it was an occasion spent peacefully , in harmony with nature, without the blaring idiot box causing a vascular headache.
Nature explained that one could indeed be happy in still darkness with all the dear ghosts, both invisible and apparent for company, with crickets chirping around you, a couple of folk songs wafting in from somewhere in spite of the warring mosquitoes who could also be composers of divine music .
Points to ponder over!!
