Independence or interdependence?

Today is exactly one year since the last independence day. but it's pretty much the same (feels like deja vu actually!
i wake up early to realise it's a holiday, squat around the house lazily, reply to all those "happy independence day" messages, switch on the tv and while away the whole day in front of it! "what better way can u celebrate ur freedom?", i ask myself! :)

All the channels telecast special programs- new movies, interviews, dance shows... ( hardly connected to the independence day.. unless u consider Salman khan without his shirt as his decision to be independent) "well, it suits me", i say and continue watching the programs!
But unfortunately for me, i come across a channel where the prime minister is trying to give some sort of a speech and my dad insists on hearing it. so i leave the tv set with daddy n look for something else to do. i try reading the newspaper; but it's the same old stuff again _ ppl celebrating, stories of good old days (or probably bad old British days!, interviews, etc.

So i think, instead of wishing me 'happy independence day', you could wish me 'happy any other day'!
Hey but wait a minute! i cant be such a lame loser. i gotta think of a way to make this day more meaningful. so i sit with pen in hand and think....

India was already independent when i was born. "so i'm totally an independent freak", i think..

And suddenly, the power goes off and my room becomes dark and still.. i start cursing the electricity board by all obscene names i can recollect and grope around the house for a torch light. but since i don't fancy keeping things at it's proper place, i do the usual thing- "mom! can u get me the torch light please?" and i hear the familiar response- " oh, u always keep asking me to get ur things! why cant u be more independent?"

Irritated, i decide to go out for a drive and bring bhel puri! but today being my very lucky day, my scooty does not start. i once again recollect all the obscene words and tell it to the scooty. i call it a pig that has eaten rat droppings. but yet, the scooty wouldn't start. i try to find whats wrong with it for some three minutes. but since my mechanical knowledge is nut sized, i telephone the mechanic and ask him to service it tomorrow.

I go back into the house and stare at my mobile phone which now says - LOW BATTERY, and gets switched off!
by then mom lights a candle and i sit beside it with nothing to do, but a whole lot of things tothink about.

I realize I'm not independent. in fact, nobody is!
I need the electricity board to give me a good night's sleep, i need a mechanic to help me travel, i need my mother to fetch me a simple torch light and i need a mobile phone to lead my whole fast paced life...

So i decide, i'm not an independent individual after all.. ! but somewhere i remember studying something about 'inter-dependency' in my primary school...
then i smile and wish myself a happy interdependence day :)

luv,
yeshu :)

A day to pledge

India celebrates it’s 62’nd independence day today. I think that it’s now time for us as a country to not just remember this day as a day of great sacrifices made by our freedom fighters but also see to it how India can be built going forward. Though here’s a question I would like to ask all of you… Would our freedom fighters who gave their life for our nation be happy seeing the state of our nation today? Forget freedom fighters, would somebody like a Vikram Batra be happy today? If you don’t know him then shame on you, immediately google and find out…What better day to do it anyway. Coming back to the answer of my question though, it would be a big NO!

I honestly believe instead of parading our jawans and saying Jai Hind three times on top of one’s voice atop the Lal Kila is just not enough. I know the P.M also makes some genuine statements of what he is going to do in the near future…but is it enough? Does that mean things like malnutrition would end? …Gap between the rich and the poor would narrow, terrorism would be eliminated soon? I could go on and on about the issues facing our country…Does that mean all will stop? Why is there no execution of a plan in India? If we as software engineers fail to deliver in a project that we are working on, we are shown the pink slip the next day, why not our ministers likewise? Where does the accountability come from? Is there any accountability anyway?

I am also not denying the fact though that we as young individuals also have a role to play. India has an advantage over other countries as in 60-70 % of our population is young.So the future does look bright if you do look at it that way. But then one can't really shy away from the fact that India still is a poor country.The young population that we are talking about... out of that 40 % are actually unemployed and poor.There are floods , there is drought, there is farmer suicide...Many such things which face our country today.

Really these are issues, issues to be thought about in this particular day, not only this day , in general too, but the point being that after 62 years of being independent, India still remains a poor country and that’s a fact.Though I am not a pessimist ... I think India does have a good future but that can only be done if we empower the needy in this country.

So,When you go outside on the streets today, there will be this kid on the road side having flags or a batch of flag in his hand. Buy that. You will serve three purposes by doing that

1. Wear that batch on your sleeve. A form of patriotism.
2. You would have helped that little kid earn something.
3. You would have at least done something on Independence day and not just have treated it as a mere holiday.

Two Words. Jai Hind!