A Comeback (after all)

I think it is a very long time after I have written another blog. There are a lot of things on my mind but the first thing is the Independence Day which was celebrated a long time ago but my emotions are still volatile. How would any one of us like to visualize India as a country? Well, mine is below:

When India celebrated its 62nd Independence Day this time, it was not about how far we have traveled, it was about who are the travelers? Is it still rural or urban, rich or poor? We have many dimensions to look at that. But when voices like those of A.R. Rahman are in the air with Vande Mataram floating on it, I still feel pain more than pride. India has not been able to do justice to many people and the list is long. Its growth is lop-sided and it worries many.

India has not been able to answer the widows of the brave who laid their lives for saving people like us. It pinches to see on television the lady who today also walks 15 Kilometers to fetch a matka of water. How will India do justice to the bespectacled old people who beg on the traffic lights for one chappati? Why do our small girls still have to miss schools because they have to collect twigs for using it as a fuel? There are millions of them. On one hand we are the country with third largest GDP in PPP terms and on the other hand, largest number of poor can be found here. It is as fascinating as it is shocking. In Punjab, 1 woman is raped every 24 hours and 1 woman is killed every 49 hours. Is this India?

Today also when a Malayali talks to Tamilian he talks in Malayalam while the other understands but still answers it in Tamil. What is that? We are still trying to prove among ourselves who is great but on the other hand our country's greatness is suffering. We will suffer with an India like this, we all will. We are lucky to have a few well educated persons in our parliament but as a matter of fact, 80% of our MPs are facing a trial. We are still unable to be decisive enough that how will India fulfill its future energy needs. Why is India weak to show that it wants gas from Iran and nuclear fuel from Russia and still a nuclear deal from America? Who can or who will stop it? All have vested interests with us and we have in all. Its foreign Policy is indecisive and it still fears China. It should but not the way China wants. We are still weak enough and India cannot stand weak travelers on its own growth path. Soon or later we will topple if we ignore the others who are still sitting on the backseat.