The..

Through the evening air, I hear a soft prayer from a woman,
Which pulls me to a score years behind now, and I see
A child sitting peacefully in his mother's lap, immersed in the voice of her simple prayers,
And she smiles as he smugly looks up at her.

That the hard-nosed philosopher now I am, worshipping logic and slighting "faith",
The mellow prayer makes me weep to return,
To the daily mornings at the old prayer stand, the mother's lap,
Her knowing, smiling faith, and the silence around us.

So it happens that the "wise" self can no longer spew cold fire,
As the warm, tender scent of childhood shrouds me,
Tears away my adult stench,until down on the floor I lie
And weep like a child for the days that past.

Vande Mataram!

It's been 61 years since our forefathers first inhaled the air of independence. On the nidnight of August 14th, 1947, Nehru had then mentioned in his famous "Tryst with Destiny" speech that India was going to redeem her pledge with Destiny "not wholly or in full measure, but very substantially". He further mentioned about the Indian quest and how "...through good and ill fortune alike she....never lost sight of that quest or
forgotten the ideals which gave her strength."

These words ring both as a reminder of those times of strife and also a stern reminder of the future ahead.

Taking stock of ourselves almost three generations after that epoch-making day, it is difficult to properly conclude as to whether we have really earned our worth or whether we still have miles ahead of us.

It is hard to find anywhere else in the world such a vast range of cultures, languages, religions, lifestyles and customs all densely packed into one sub-continent.

What you find here, you will find everywhere else. What you don't find here, you will not find anywhere else. Indeed an enigmatic mix of contrasts.

On one side, there is enough sunshine to smile about. We achieved self-sufficiency in food production and are making great strides in the field of information technology.

Adult life expectancies have gone up due to better availability of medical care. Greater expansion of transport networks through road, rail and air is changing the face of India like never before. Private entrpreneurship is flourishing like never before and some of the world's richest billionares and most admired corporate leaders hail from this land. Industrial revolutions are happening almost overnight and India is slowly and surely transforming into a mighty superpower.


A report card of our six decade-old experiment in freedom and democracy shows a disconcerting picture. While universal franchise is increasingly being championed,

its benefits still elude millions. Not everyone benefits from this democracy. Entitled benefactors are instead plagued by crime and gross injustice and greedy exploiters run the show with impunity and immunity often provided by sections of the state machinery. They use the very same evils that are the bane of our society - corruption, intolerance, caste and communal politics and indifference to suffering.

One pauses to reflect: Where are the ideals that gave India strength in her quest? Have ideals like tolerance, acceptance, concern for others and a sense of justice faded away like age old civilisations of Greece, Rome and Babylon? Is Indian civilisation also facing the same threat?

While I am sure most will disagree, I feel that somewhere, we are turning a blind eye to those ideals that give us that lustre of Indianness.

Tales of grave injustice and discrimination no longer rend our hardened hearts. Narrations of marginalised sections being suppressed in the name of progress using sheer economic muscle no longer affect us. For we are too busy shaping up our futures with little thoughts for our fellow citizens, our future generations or for our environment.

All this from the country which wished the world, "Lokaa samasthaa sukhino bhavanthu!!"

No civilisation or culture survives on thin air. It survives and thrives on the beliefs and activities of its fundamental elements: the people. Everything begins from there and
ends there.

We are already in the clutches of a different kind of slavery- decay of human ideals. Morals have decayed due to constant twisting by unscrupulous elements for their selfish gains.

So a second struggle has to start - this time for freedom from internal decay.

Still, there is proof that not all is lost. The future is not set. Hope still survives. Pointing to a silver lining, as a reminder of the inconquerable nature of the Indian spirit.

The Indian spirit is as strong as the human spirit.

And somewhere, a low but firm voice tells me to look ahead with hope.

For, with the pitfalls, with all the decay, with all the blemishes, how can one still not love his own mother??

Let us all strive and prove ourselves to be worthy children of that great Mother.

Jai Hind!