"India is my country. All Indians are my brothers and sisters. I love my country, and I am proud of its rich and varied heritage. I shall always strive to be worthy of it. I shall give my parents, teachers and all elders respect and treat everyone with courtesy. To my country and all my people, I pledge my devotion. In their well being and prosperity alone lies my happiness. Jai Hind."
,
- The National Pledge of India
When Pydimarri Venkata Subba Rao wrote this in 1962, he had no idea it would eventually be adopted as the National Pledge. In fact, it is said that he realised it had become so only after he heard his granddaughter reciting it.
Such simple words and yet so full of lofty intentions. Simple promises so easy to keep. But when an Indian student recites this in his or her school, do they pause to think about what it is they are saying?... what are they pledging to do?
I don't think so...it is a case of parroting this just the way we all recite the National Anthem, or the National Song.
And since it is so, we have spectacularly failed to instill in our children the values we "pledge" to uphold. We, none of us, were ever explained the meaning of or reason for reciting the pledge. And what we weren't explained we couldn't pass on to the next generation... and so the dichotomy continues.
Just read the words and you'll begin to realize their improbability. The sheer burden of these simple words are heavier than that of Atlas.
We may say that all Indians are my brothers and sisters but do we ensure safety for our women? The number of rape cases tell us that we do not. Women face harassment and humiliation everyday...be it at home, at the work place, on the streets, on public or private transport. We have to constantly prove our worth, justify our existence, all the while juggling multiple roles, and we are expected to do a fantastic job.
Are we really proud of our rich heritage and culture? Because if we did we would not deface the numerous historical monuments that make India an interesting tourism destination. If "athithi devo bhava" is indeed our philosophy, then why are we so disrespectful of foreign tourists... women and men alike? Why do we misbehave with the very people who respected our country enough to come and see its wonders? Why do we cheat them, make fun of them, lech at the 'gori chori', try to take their money and leave them cursing the day they decided to come and see "Incredible India"?
If we are really brothers and sisters, why so many riots? Why this need for reservations? Why do we court the backward castes only at the time of elections? Why not do away with this wretched caste system that gives the general masses the right to play judge, jury and executioner? Why can we not employ or honour a person solely on their merit? It would at least curb student suicides and associated political dramas.
And do we treat everyone with respect? No, we do not. We have been so unjustly treated by our rulers that we feel justified in taking out our frustrations on all around us. Our elders, our teachers, our peers, even our children and parents. If it were not so, how do we account for the rampant child labour, girls sold into prostitution, growing number of old age home, beggars on the roads, dowry deaths, honour killings...the list is exhaustive and exhausting.
We are divided into so many factions...religious, caste-based, political...that we have become immune to each other. The sole purpose of living seems to being successful at everybody else's expense.
Why go to places of worship then? Why behave like hooligans in the name of these very gods before whom we prostrate? Do we not see the irony in our behaviour? When we show off our material possessions, are we not being bad role models to our children? And by polluting our cities, are we not turning them into patients and shortening their life span?
It is still not too late, you know. We can instill in our children a sense of pride and a sense of ownership. We are born in this great nation of ours...a nation that has never tresspassed onto a neighbour's land...a nation full of wisdom and spirituality...a nation that gives to us in the form of agriculture, industries, verdant forests, the wide rivers that have seen countless generations pass by.
If we are as educated as we take pride in declaring, if we are born in this nation, why do we denounce it on foreign soils? Why do we not champion it's limitless opportunities, its varied heritage, its wisdom, it's ability to embrace foreign cultures and give them the space need to grow and thrive? If Indians denounce their own country then who will speak in its favour?
How can we look at ourselves in the mirror and not feel the shame? How did we bring ourselves down to the level of squabblers, killers, rioters?
Why not give each other a helping hand and feel the pleasure when their faces light up? Why not defend one of another faith and come closer to the God. Almighty who had created us all?
Because only if we do that can we really justify reciting the National Pledge. Otherwise, we might as well do away with it, get rid of the pretense of being a civilised people, and definitely do away with the holier-than-thou ailment we all suffer from.
Jai Hind.
No comments:
Post a Comment