Jai Hind!

So what's up in your world?
Do you know?
Do you care?

India celebrated the 57th year of independence yesterday. I remember when we were in school, we'd go for the parade and flag raising ceremony. And get boiled sweets and lime juice at the end of it. The weeklies would inevitably feature a variation of the tricolor. And we'd all praise gandhi and nehru in suitably patriotic terms.

But what does it mean now?

I'm out of school. no more parades or flag raisings. It's been years since i even sang the national anthem. And i feel increasingly that the national agenda has been hijacked by xenophobics, jingoists and demagogues for their own purposes. Our political arena is witness to the creative hi-jinks of a bunch of stupid politicans. and this is apparently what it means to be a free nation.

To be a nationalist, you have to wear khadi, spout meaningless fundae on "trysts with destiny" and "mera bharath mahan". You have to either be a hindu, or acknowledge their superior benevolence. And you have to vehemently jeer anyone who opposes you as anti-nationalist.

Does anyone else feel jaded by this farce?

I appreciated the fine speech, Prime Minister. But what are you going to do about it? You are taking my money away in the form of cesses and taxes. I see it going down the drain. You promise bureacratic reform. And the machine grows bigger each day. You promise forward progress. But you come from a huge, inert political machine further slowed down by communist members. I see a lot of movement. But we're still in the same place.

Even Pandit Nehru was great with the rhetoric. He spoke beautifully while driving India down the middle path of socialism till each and every indian became equally poor. Show me some creative action Prime Minister.