While our Nation celebrates over 60 glorious years of Independence, the other fact remains that even to this day, India’s struggle for Independence is a sage of those thousands of men, women & even children who have sacrificed their life for the freedom of our nation. By celebrating Independence Day, we pay homage to all those who fought for the Independence of India.
But gone are the days when every Indian citizen valued the importance of this great day!
Believe it or not, accept it or not, but the truth is that time has eroded those sentiments and now we this day is observed like “any other holiday”!!
Today, attendance has been made compulsory by schools which means, “forcing” children to attend the Flag Hoisting Ceremony. Not only children but it’s even seen in most of the Adults also that the feelings and spirit of patriotism for this day is no more.
The Oxford dictionary defines “PATRIOTISM” as Devoted Love, Support, Defence of one’s Country and National Loyalty. But the word “Patriotism” is subjective in nature and cannot be restricted.
We need not take part in International Sports or fight Wars at the border to express our feelings of Patriotism. Our emotions run high when India thrashes Pakistan in any sports or when a businessman of India Origin, staying abroad makes it “BIG” in the World. We feel so patriotic when a Lady of Indian Origin (who has hardly been in India herself) goes into space. The Sunita Willliams episode and the consequent celebrations in India clearly exhibit to what extent we are OBCESSED with the WESTERN CULTURE!
The youth of our country only looks forward to complete their basic studies in India and much before he completion, plans to go out to America or U.K and settle abroad & earn money for the foreign nation. REASON - No infrastructure , hardly any avenues, scope to make it big and fulfill one’s ambition. This might be true but is it not OUR responsibility to facilitate such an environment in our own country ?? APJ Abdul Kalam in his book “ Wings of Fire ” has mentioned that “ Never think of scope, work harder to create that scope.” Kalam rejected several offers and stayed in this country (India) and contributed in making India a nuclear power. That’s the resolve of a Real Patriotic Person.!
PROBLEM is – WE are “obsessed” with foreign labels. It’s a very dangerous trend. We are loosing our own identity in this process. Just a hand-full amongst us have interest in our history, culture & growth and growth of our country. We are aping western countries, leaving behind our nation. But we are also being selective while aping. But WHY is it so?? – The entire America and U.K come on their streets to celebrate their Independence Day. Their entire nation stands by their armed forces not only during war times, but also during “any and every” crisis. They share the success as well as the failure of their country with undivided sincerity and togetherness. They not just dream but also take efforts to take their nation to new heights. Do we feel the same for our very own country – India ??
There are so many negative thoughts about India in one’s mind and quiet often we just don’t want to discuss or even talk about it. There is a very famous dialogue in the movie “RANG DE BASANTI” – “koi bhi desh perfect nahi hota. Usse perfect banana padhta hai.” ( no nation is perfect. We have to take the efforts to make it perfect.” And whose responsibility is it to make it PERFECT ?? Is it right for us to expect someone else to improve the scenario of our nation? And is it more correct that when that happens we will happily return to your nation to contribute to the further developments ?? If so, then does this indicate we are on the right path to prosperity and progress of our nation, our country?
Famous author Shiv Khera says – If we choose NOT to be a part of the solution then we DEFINETLY ARE the PROBLEM!! Convincing I must say! Today our country has made advancements in almost all sectors. But there is still greater distance yet to be coverd. This is just the beginning Agreed! That there are certain problems that are unsettled which need to be attended to and some hurdles yet to be crossed. So why don’t we join hands and make some genuine efforts to work on them – TOGETHER!?!
Nation does not become great only with slogans. It becomes great when its citizens do great things. Sad but true that we just don’t want to fight against injustice and battle for our integrity. We need to change our thinking, pull up our socks and drive this nation of ours forward with all our strength and belief.
WE NEED TO BE A PART OF THIS SYSTEM AND STRIVE HARD TO BRING POSITIVE CHANGES only then we will be able to bring the “nation of our dream” into REALITY.
So how are YOU going to contribute towards this ??
But gone are the days when every Indian citizen valued the importance of this great day!
Believe it or not, accept it or not, but the truth is that time has eroded those sentiments and now we this day is observed like “any other holiday”!!
Today, attendance has been made compulsory by schools which means, “forcing” children to attend the Flag Hoisting Ceremony. Not only children but it’s even seen in most of the Adults also that the feelings and spirit of patriotism for this day is no more.
The Oxford dictionary defines “PATRIOTISM” as Devoted Love, Support, Defence of one’s Country and National Loyalty. But the word “Patriotism” is subjective in nature and cannot be restricted.
We need not take part in International Sports or fight Wars at the border to express our feelings of Patriotism. Our emotions run high when India thrashes Pakistan in any sports or when a businessman of India Origin, staying abroad makes it “BIG” in the World. We feel so patriotic when a Lady of Indian Origin (who has hardly been in India herself) goes into space. The Sunita Willliams episode and the consequent celebrations in India clearly exhibit to what extent we are OBCESSED with the WESTERN CULTURE!
The youth of our country only looks forward to complete their basic studies in India and much before he completion, plans to go out to America or U.K and settle abroad & earn money for the foreign nation. REASON - No infrastructure , hardly any avenues, scope to make it big and fulfill one’s ambition. This might be true but is it not OUR responsibility to facilitate such an environment in our own country ?? APJ Abdul Kalam in his book “ Wings of Fire ” has mentioned that “ Never think of scope, work harder to create that scope.” Kalam rejected several offers and stayed in this country (India) and contributed in making India a nuclear power. That’s the resolve of a Real Patriotic Person.!
PROBLEM is – WE are “obsessed” with foreign labels. It’s a very dangerous trend. We are loosing our own identity in this process. Just a hand-full amongst us have interest in our history, culture & growth and growth of our country. We are aping western countries, leaving behind our nation. But we are also being selective while aping. But WHY is it so?? – The entire America and U.K come on their streets to celebrate their Independence Day. Their entire nation stands by their armed forces not only during war times, but also during “any and every” crisis. They share the success as well as the failure of their country with undivided sincerity and togetherness. They not just dream but also take efforts to take their nation to new heights. Do we feel the same for our very own country – India ??
There are so many negative thoughts about India in one’s mind and quiet often we just don’t want to discuss or even talk about it. There is a very famous dialogue in the movie “RANG DE BASANTI” – “koi bhi desh perfect nahi hota. Usse perfect banana padhta hai.” ( no nation is perfect. We have to take the efforts to make it perfect.” And whose responsibility is it to make it PERFECT ?? Is it right for us to expect someone else to improve the scenario of our nation? And is it more correct that when that happens we will happily return to your nation to contribute to the further developments ?? If so, then does this indicate we are on the right path to prosperity and progress of our nation, our country?
Famous author Shiv Khera says – If we choose NOT to be a part of the solution then we DEFINETLY ARE the PROBLEM!! Convincing I must say! Today our country has made advancements in almost all sectors. But there is still greater distance yet to be coverd. This is just the beginning Agreed! That there are certain problems that are unsettled which need to be attended to and some hurdles yet to be crossed. So why don’t we join hands and make some genuine efforts to work on them – TOGETHER!?!
Nation does not become great only with slogans. It becomes great when its citizens do great things. Sad but true that we just don’t want to fight against injustice and battle for our integrity. We need to change our thinking, pull up our socks and drive this nation of ours forward with all our strength and belief.
WE NEED TO BE A PART OF THIS SYSTEM AND STRIVE HARD TO BRING POSITIVE CHANGES only then we will be able to bring the “nation of our dream” into REALITY.
So how are YOU going to contribute towards this ??
Dear Pallavi,
ReplyDeleteReally what an effort put in by you and all thr indians you have mentione in this article.
It is indeed very true what u said" Nation does not become great only with slogans. It becomes great when its citizens do great things. Sad but true that we just don’t want to fight against injustice and battle for our integrity. We need to change our thinking, pull up our socks and drive this nation of ours forward with all our strength and belief.
WE NEED TO BE A PART OF THIS SYSTEM AND STRIVE HARD TO BRING POSITIVE CHANGES only then we will be able to bring the “nation of our dream” into REALITY"
really very MOTIVATING.
I really appreciate to this BLOG and specially to the subject where a very special explanation …”WHAT IS PATRIOTISM & REALITY ? “. and also Ms.Pallavi Nagarkatti to encourage people with such articles.
KEEP GOING WE ALL INDIANS ARE WITH YOU AND WITH OUR NATION.
Excellent JOB done by you.
REALITY REALLY SPEAKS IN YOUR ARTICLE.
CHETAN
India the land of the martyrs who have embraced the gallows for their ideals, where every drop in the freedom fighter’s blood has fought not for itself but for the nation, has today become indigent instead of indigenous of ‘patriotism’. Yes I am talking of India where patriotism needs to be revived and redefined..
ReplyDeleteWe all probably remember patriotism when there is an Indo-Pak cricket match and when terrorists bomb our trains. But we definitely forget it when we cast our vote in the elections, when a week long hungry beggar asks for a rupee, when we shamelessly throw garbage on the roads and yet so many times more… Patriotism is observed as nothing else than the ‘pain on the prick of a pin’. It is rather believed to be a formality, a formality of saluting the national flag and 52 seconds of freezed stature during the national anthem. May be even a freezed heart with no gratitude for the martyrs because of whom we are living off so well..
The serenity and peace of the country is often challenged more by internal perturbances than by external aggression. The diversity in the cultures of its subjects unfortunately is the prominent cause for animosity between religious antagonists in India. There is so much difference that a common man belonging to one religion finds in another man of other religion though being the very same, an INDIAN. India has subjects following a number of religions which have their own organizations to spread the greatness of their religion that they have realized. Such organizations are very important in making a prosperous and patriotic India. As their aim is to pay heed to the needs of their followers. In this way every Indian will be benefited in some or the other way. It should be also important for these organizations to publicise patriotism as they find themselves amongst the biggest organizations in India. But sadly it never happens so. Religious antagonism apart, we still distance ourselves with each other with castism. While celebrating the 59th Independence day, India wants to forget castes and the differences caused by them. But probably the politicians do not want it to happen. Reservation for lower castes is one issue, where politicians have made every effort to pursue their own filthy political interests rather than trying to solve the issue..
What we cannot envisage is the communal disharmony and religious discrimination that infiltrates into the society defying all norms of humanity. This results to communal riots stupendously engineered by the so called religious patrons – the politicians. But one cannot blame the whole breed, as there exists a minority that puts in efforts to make a more socially stable India. While the majority tries to draw mileage from every loop hole in the society and engages itself in building heavens of comfort and luxury, constructed on the debris of human sanctity. For every soldier who sacrifices his life for the nation they echo only four words, “WE will fight back”. But in that ‘WE’ they are nowhere..!!
The common man of India is deemed to be a puppet in the hands of the politicians, but in reality he finds his own profit in every act provoked by them. And what gets lost in this ‘unethical symbiosis’ is again patriotism! While talking of India, one major class of people can be seldomely forgotten. It is the economically and thus as a result socially impotent and backward class. It is rightly said – An empty stomach cannot blow the seditious sound of the war bugle. Thus one cannot expect them to play an important role in reforming patriotism. This situation should be unraveled in course of time and not suddenly. What cannot be conquered should be endured. Patriotic emotions cannot be engendered in a windfall, they will have to be engraved on tender hearts that will remain placid in the storms of the enigmatic future. Our education policies thus need to be revalued and reformed. More national awareness and respect should be embedded into the scholastic curriculum. The paraphernalia could be nothing more than a sincere devotion for making a patriotic India..
Now let us consider what patriotism should be in true sense. Patriotism need not have a mass motive, it need not be national. Small things and actions persuaded with a notion of doing good to other countrymen is patriotism. Patriotism should be embibed by us to put into our day to day lives. As Elphinstone proposed ‘Divide eta rule’, that is, the path towards conquering an empire is division. Thus we will have to give up the ignoble thinking that we have nurtured towards the society. That is the social divisions made by ourselves need to be abolished. Or it won’t take long for another British Empire to crack us down..
Not only being patriotic towards your country is patriotism but honoring our opponents’ patriotic feelings is also a facet of the diamond, patriotism. Patriots don’t talk about taking life but of giving life for their country. Patriotism is not all about attack, its about defense, its about counterattack. At last I feel, what cannot describe patriotism better than this is - patriotism is like a needle that joins and unites and not a scissor that cuts and divides..
INQUALAB ZINDABAD..!!!!!!