On the 63rd Independence Day ....

PEOPLE, AND FEELINGS OF NATIONALISM

Today we are Independent, enjoying all Liberties and Freedoms provided by the Constitution of the Democratic Republic: INDIA . But I see that we have become selfish.

Our country witnessed the wars of 48, 63, 65, 71, 99 and also the tensions at various other instances within the country. If your life is so precious to you, then were they fools who gave up their lives for the country? But no common man can understand what it feels like to die for your country. Intoxicated by the love for motherland the passion, the zeal, the fervour you have when you are defending your country at the war front is outlandish. The soldier says, “I regret I’ve but 1 life to lay down for my country”. They are honoured but sadly posthumous. What about those who are guarding our borders right now living away from their families? They say that they can feel, the letters they receive from their families are soggy. Do they receive the respect they deserve?

But then people are not totally indifferent to their sacrifices. Everyone is so keen to forward an email that spreads sentiments of nationalism, but do they understand it. Or does its impact on them lasts for more than 5 minutes? People wish each other Happy Independence Day; do they understand what they are saying? It is just lip service. We don’t understand what freedom is because we haven’t been enslaved. To some it’s nothing more than a gazetted holiday. Do they realize how grateful they should be to those who lost everything to get us freedom? Those were brave souls who had this sentiment of love for their motherland. It was so strong that no adversaries could ever break it. They used to sing songs in praise of the motherland and alike on their way when they were being transported together to jails in ships or other such instances when they used to get together. That used to be their mode of entertainment.

With Independence we also witnessed the Partition of the Country into India and Pakistan. Was it required is though debatable? Do we ever tend to realize how sad was the partition of India? What a human massacre it was? 15 million people moved across the border. About 1 million of them were killed. How people killed their age old neighbours in frenzy? How people killed their own wives and daughters? How people awaited death ?How harsh it was physically, mentally and emotionally to go through all that trauma? People lost their loved ones, their property, their whole life’s savings; they were looted in every sense. People died of hunger, of diseases they caught on the way, no drinking water. The lucky ones got water from the paddy fields. The people were uprooted from their established homes and forced to live as refugees. So many lives were changed permanently. Some even today tell their grandchildren about the beautiful houses they had in Lahore. The country burned during that time.

AH !! Today, we are celebrating Independance Day... But many of those who actually devoted their lives for this cause couldn't celebrate (on) the day we actually got Independence. Either they were dead, mourning or on the other side of the Radcliffe Line.

What did we learn? We still fight many a times on the lines of religion or caste. But these days there has been a national awakening in this regard; I am glad we are really becoming secular and are on the right track.

Yes, we have our internal issues but, we stand together as one family during hardships and celebrations. Whenever there is an attack on the country (it is a pity that I've to include it as a regular affair), a natural calamity in any part of the country, the whole country empathizes. Aid from all over the country reaches the affected area. All we need is more such benevolent people. Almost, the whole country celebrates festivals like Diwali and we are equally happy for our Muslim brothers when they celebrate Eid. The whole country passionately watches the cricket matches and cheers for the national side. At such times we forget our petty issues.

There are so many issues ahead of us-poverty, population, education, corruption, terrorism, communal harmony, social vices and environment. It is an irony that all these problems are created by people and only people can solve them.

On this Independence Day, Lets resolve to make India a "Superpower" and make our forefathers proud.

Happy Independance Day...

A Talk WIth Yourself....(on satisfaction)

If you summarize a paragraph into few lines ...it becomes poetry... n i guess not all understand it...

Temporary Satisfaction= Compromise = Tool for getting over Failure....

A trick to trick the mind... Look (at people) above you while climbing , below you when you slip a few steps; Close your eyes and remember your Lord during a freefall.....

Lord Mahavira rightly preached:
The world is full of misery and sorry. The cause of misery and sorrow is desire. The way to peace is overcoming desire i.e. being satisfied.

The question is when to be satisfied? And does being satisfied means inaction?

Had we been satisfied with whatever knowledge we had, we should not have studied after K.G. or why are we studying any further? Had late Mr. Dhirubhai Ambani been satisfied with all that he had before, we wouldn’t have got the Ambani Group? Or in general if man had been satisfied, would we have witnessed the technological revolution.

A stupid personal e.g. While I was in Haridwar for summer training, I changed my accommodation 6 times in 3 weeks. The last one had a double-bed, lobby, bathroom toilet, kitchen, T.V., air cooler. They also served food thrice a day while the first one had only 2 sq metres of area and it was on the top floor and terribly hot. And it’s funny that the last one was cheapest. I could have been satisfied and could have compromised with comforts as I don’t carry any such whims or fancies but why to refuse if I could get it at a cheaper price. And believe me I had better things to do than looking for rooms. After I got sixth one, I could say I was a bit satisfied.

Satisfaction can be short term or long term. Short term satisfaction is related with short term goals. While long term satisfaction is what we long for and work for our entire lives, to achieve when we are retiring from work or from life.

With your every action or your circumstances, you can either be satisfied or unsatisfied. The benefit of being unsatisfied is only when you can change what you are unsatisfied with i.e. your actions, your circumstances.

So, it is best to be satisfied until you find an alternative if you want to remain sane. The last line contradicts itself.

How can you be satisfied if you are searching for an alternative? So does that mean you should not look for an alternative i.e. satisfaction=inaction? No, it means you accept what you have for the time being and would try to change things for the better as well but won’t mind if things remain the way they are for a stipulated time that you define for yourself. This is temporary satisfaction.

And the answer to the question” when to be satisfied” is totally personal. But I can suggest that at least one should not be satisfied in the prime time of our lives, when we are working to build up a career for ourselves and a good future for our country. I like this particular campaign of Dainik Jagran “zidd karo, duniya badlo”. Here I’ve just shifted perspective from personal satisfaction and achievement to National Progress but it helps me convey the message.

You should have a goal, and passion to achieve it. Satisfaction will come automatically when you achieve it. But what if you fail? Some people can’t handle failures that well. Sometimes you are broken down to the roots. Think of a time when you were too much distressed (other than the present situation if you are today), when you couldn’t see any hope. What happened after that? Time didn’t stop. You moved on, world moved on. Eventually you lived by it or you got a solution. By personal experience I am telling there is always a solution for any problem, any situation howsoever grave they may be.
And if you want inspiration at those hard times look at any poor rickshaw puller or labourer or female labourers who are working in those adverse conditions for survival of themselves and so many other mouths to feed they would be having at their homes. It is not that I pity them rather I admire them. If you think you have a troubled relationship with some stupid guy or girl, try to know some of these stories. Some women have drunkard husbands, bad in-laws who beat them, harass them. It will bring tears to your eyes. And if you want to see what satisfaction looks like, look at any father’s face who works hard to feed his children and family with his share of bread.

Never Give Up !!