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After 70 years of attaining Freedom…



…..are we really tasting it? India has celebrated her 70th Independence Day and undoubtedly this is a mark of achievement after the tough struggle against the British Rule for around 150 years. But seven decades is quite a large time and few questions do arise questioning the very basic of our principles we have grown up with.
1.      Unity in Diversity? – We've grown up listening to this slogan from our childhood that India has an ample number of different cultural lifestyles and She welcomes all of them with a warm heart. From a Punjabi wearing a padgi to a Tamil school going girl wearing a pattu padava, India pays homage to every citizen. There are close to 1500 languages spoken in India. But what are we doing? We make a mockery of those who aren't able to speak a regional language with good fluency. We disown those couples who want to live their life with someone outside their cultural realm. We literally destroy the very meaning of Unity (accepting) in Diversity (differences). We still live in the cliched notions of that superstitious society.
2.      Atithi Devo Bhava? – We have this very beautiful and respectful principle of treating every guest who comes to our house as a God and taking care of them till they leave the premises fully satisfied. It is a code of conduct for the society and we should honour every guest, be it to our own house or to our country. But are we really respecting our guests? Every now and then we hear a foreigner being raped who has come to savour the beauty of our country. We see people ill-treating outsiders who have come to make a living in India. Isn’t it our duty to help them in every way possible? Where is our common sense stuck?
3.      Is India a Secular State? – India is a land of several religions, many born here and many inherited from other regions of the world. Secularism means the entire society living in harmony accepting different cultures around us. But do we see this now? So many killings in the name of religion, many fights in the name of a particular belief, destruction of religious shrines and what not! I don’t think we’re keeping up the word of secularism.
4.      Why poor country? – India is a rich country but Indians are poor, they say. It has been internationally declared that an individual with income less than $1.90 is declared extremely poor and guess what.. Close to 33% of Indians are below that line. We call it Below Poverty Line (BPL). Just imagine how difficult survival is for such people living without basic needs. This ultimately leads to illiteracy, malnutrition, sickening health, etc. It’s time we start questioning ourselves and rethink what needs to be done.
5.      Are the citizens perfect to blame the government? – We blame the government on issues like corruption, economic policies, finance budgeting, and all such big areas of discussions. But how responsible are we towards our common duties? Are we paying taxes at the right time? Are we following traffic rules perfectly? Are we loyal to the people around us? How big hand you we have in terms of social activities? Are we protecting our laws and government assets? Ultimately Government = People. So if you blame it, blame yourself.
6.      Is cleanliness next to godliness? – We dream of greener cities, of a healthier environment, of a good place to live. But almost every spot on the roads become a trash can for people who are lazy just to find a dustbin to throw. One person initiates this practice and people follow the same. In turn, the first person blames the society for not being responsible. What is actually going on?
7.      Are we protecting the fairer sex? – The households which treat the women of their house as Goddess Lakshmi will have most of her blessings. Then what about those households which kill the babe in her mother’s womb itself? I really don’t know what God does to them but common sense will definitely take a toll when the sex ratio will fall down drastically and men should search for prospective ‘grooms’ in the future to get married. Besides this, what mistake did the mother do in giving birth to a girl child? It is the father who gives the ‘Y’ chromosome in making a girl baby. Think people! Think!
8.      Where is the youth going? – Despite having a smaller population than China, right now, India stands first in the youth population, statistics says. Youth! 20-35 years aged people are called youth. Immense energy, creative thoughts, revolutionary ideas, innovative planning and a lot more to say. This is what our youth have got. But situation speaks of something else. 80% of engineering graduates are unemployable. Most of them lack the basic vocational, literary and functional skills for employment. Laziness, procrastination, lack of interest in anything have become trademarks of many young people of the nation.
9.        Roti, kapda, makaan? – Either one, two or all the three of them are a deficit for few families in rural areas. They live without basic sanitation facilities and drink contaminated water to fill their stomach for the day.
I don’t really know where we are going wrong.. But something is definitely wrong. With such a situation we are still being called a developing country. Things need a steadfast improvement to avoid deteriorating conditions.
On this Independence Day, I wish everyone gives a thought on what India is now and make some good contribution to our motherland and show the world that we are not merely a land of “snake charmers” anymore!
Jai Hind!  

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