I recently had a completely ‘goose-pimple’ moment. We had gone for “How to train your dragon” and before the movie started they played ‘Jana Gana Mana’. The entire audience stood and it was such an awesome feeling! The sense that we belong to this great and diverse nation. I love our national anthem. I am a proud Indian and it doesn’t matter that the west sees us through patronizing eyes and thinks that poverty, gaseous cows and yoga are what define the Indianess in India. I prefer a broader and less ‘firangi’ point of view.
My India is a land before time. A land that has history few other nations can boast of. The land that Gods walked on. The land where epic battles between good and evil were fought on. The land where a King gave up the killing fields to perpetuate peace and non-violence. A nation where there is harmony in diversity, and even though all of this sounds clichéd, and sometimes one seeks to find the harmony in the diversity, it is still true of India.
My India is a kaleidoscope of colour and texture and all things weird and wonderful. It can never be boring! I stand on my balcony every morning and know that what I see today will be something that I have not seen yesterday and will not see tomorrow. Every second, every day the scene changes! For someone who finds monotony unbearable, can there be anything better? I lived away from India for more than half a decade. It was fun to be away. To experience living away from home and hearth. To form new identities. To learn new things. Imbibe new culture, gasp at new age technology, faster cars, bigger malls, and the piece de resistance- a ‘lane system’ that people follow! It was a beautiful and perfect world. Too perfect for me. I knew that at this roundabout, every summer they would plant marigolds and petunias every winter. Without fail. Every year. The landscaping was perfect. Everything was perfect. The taxi drivers were perfect! When I had a bad day at work how I would miss the trusted Bengaluru auto driver with whom I could pick a fight! I missed all the imperfections that was my India!
We came back, and yes it took a while to adjust to the chaos. To watch where you walk on a footpath, because in India a footpath also doubles up as impromptu urinal. To stay clear from bus windows, as one never knows when a missile of spit may just hit you. To hold my head, my children’s head - lest they tumble off while driving over what was once asphalt but is now more holy than the nearest holy cow chewing cud in the middle of the road. It took me a while. And then like a deep sea diver coming out from exploring the sea bed and the wonders below. I acclimatized. I found my Indianess again. I found my centre.
I want my children to love their country as much as I do. To love it inspite of its many, many, many imperfections. To understand what a rich cultural heritage we have. To be proud of our history. It shouldn’t be limited to corrupt politicians, a redundant caste system, honour killing, female infanticide and oh! the list can go on. But this is my land, this land belongs to my children and their children. This is an irrefutable fact. And it is up to us to bring about the change we seek. It is heartening to see more and more people getting involved in making India better. There is more awareness now then even 10 years ago. I like to believe that we have shrugged off our cloaks of apathy and are striving to make a difference. “Jaago re” rings not just when I drink my morning tea, but every time I feel complacent.
We are a land of people and this same people can make all the difference. We are a nation of one billion people. If all us wants to take India forward who can stop us?
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