‘I’ for India

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10 am 25th November 2008

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Anne was on a call helping some customer with some amendments.
Shan (Shanmuga) was watching her carefully as he newly joined the call centre. Shan came to UK like his other friends who had dollar dreams. He recently joined a call centre to support his living, till he finds a good job in recession struck economy.

Anne was almost done with her customer transaction and was giving a reference code to the customer.
“Ur reference code is SIS, I repeat S for Sugar, I for India and again S for Sugar“

Shan felt very happy and proud after listening to “I for India” from a Brit.

Shan is in UK almost for two and half years, and has realised that Indians are reputed more than what he had heard and assumed.
He has realised Indians can feel any country as their home, as Indian brothers and sisters being omni present.
He has realised Indian take-aways are equally reputed as much as kitchen of Aldo Zilli here.
List will continue if I starting penning it down.
He no more cribs to be an Indian or to be a national of developing country. He confidently believes that his dreams can be pursued in some others land and his nationality going to support it.

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I for India - are the random thoughts which come and goes off in my mind at least once in a Day after the Mumbai massacre.
Sadly I’m not an exception to most of Indians, in thinking of doing something good for my country but the thoughts do not manifest itself into actions due to eventual decay of the will to put it into action. The reality being that there is a wide gap between thinking of doing something and executing it.

Almost 2 months are completed after the 2008 Mumbai attacks and life in Mumbai was back to normal from the very first day after the sanity operations are completed. Whatever you may want to call it – “Spirit of Mumbai” or “Struggle for survival” but the buzz of the city is alive and well!

Year 2008 was riddled with series of bloody terror attacks causing major damages to the brand ‘India’ globally, it even provoked the tensions of war between India and Pakistan but today everything seems to normal and there isn’t much anger or terror in anybody’s eyes.

Where does the problem lie?

I think the problem lies in the way I have defined my definitions

I, from the land of MK Gandhi, loves to make peace and keep peace. My definition of peace is, to swallow one’s own fear and terror. But others probably accept what Martin Luther king has said – “True peace is not merely the absence of tension: it is the presence of justice.”

I think the problem lies in my thinking- I feel proud to say that Independent India is now a Senior citizen, having completed 60 years; rather than feeling ashamed of the growing corruption, substandard politics and other shortcomings in my country.

I think the problem lies in me, who chose the government which is incapable of taking any decisions which benefits India in the long term.

I think the problem lies in me, who still holds divisive prejudices based on language, caste, economic status and so on, without overcoming it myself and change my countrymen in eradicating such biases.

I think the problem lies in me, who gets confused when he thinks about what he can do for his country.

I think the problem lies in me, who doesn’t think about making India a superpower, even if I think, I fail to bring it into action and sooner or later I forget.

I think the problem lies in me, I just feel happy to be an Indian and for India what it is today (Just like Shan) and never bothers to make and keep it gr8.

I think the problem lies in me; I’m obsessed towards my own personal fantasies, in which my country is seldom a part of it.

I think the problem lies in me, I always complain rather than perform.

Conclusion

What can I or should do for India??

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(Blank again!!!!)

Discalimer:

These opinions are my own (may be influenced by many), and may vary with other’s opinion
The character Shan is truly fictional, apologies if it matches with any person dead or alive.