For most of us, Republic day and Independence day hold a special meaning. We have fond memories of days past, of march pasts at school, of flag hoisting ceremonies and of sports, games and tea parties. It is a day when we feel warm and happy for being Indian; a time to reflect of what that means individually, for each one of us. For a former bureaucrat like me, Republic day was always associated with the formal flag hoisting ceremony of the government. In my earlier postings, I was the flag hoister, in the precincts of the small municipal parade ground in Madhugiri. I always had a catch in my throat when I saw girls from the local school for the visually impaired, march perfectly in time to the rousing beat of Sare Jahan se Achcha, Hindostan Hamara. Later on, for some time, I was a fulcrum point for the arrangements, as the Chief Protocol officer for Karnataka. It was a time of tension; did the invitations go out? Were the shamiana arrangements done well? Were all the million things to be done, in place? One did not have to worry, because the defence authorities took care of the parade and that always went like clockwork. However, I must admit, I rarely saw it from the point of view of the ordinary citizen. That happened when I went to Delhi. Watching the military might of the country being paraded on Rajpath is a great experience in itself, but then, it began to pall when I saw the matter-of-fact way by which the constitutional letter and spirit was being subverted, in several policy decisions of the government that I witnessed. I began to revisit the entire idea of patriotism. Where does the ordinary citizen figure in all of this show of strength, however, impressive that might be? Is it necessary to give out the message, ‘don’t mess with me’, in order to be patriotic? I began to realise that patriotism is just a sub-set of a larger, and deeper emotional connect of compassion for all human beings, regardless of nationality. I would say, come mess with me. Please come and see what a wonderful country India is; you will know why I am so patriotic. I am sure your country is a great place too, and I will surely come and visit. So, today, I think I won’t watch the parade. I will instead help fill up the application form for a young, poor family, to take a shot at admitting their child to a private school of their choice, under the Right to Education Act. There is also the small matter of cleaning out the drain on the road to our house, which is clogged with the generous offerings of trash thrown across the wall, by the employees and visitors to the Bimal Maruti Showroom, on Whitefield Road. From the contents of the drain, it seems that a large number of the patriots visiting the showroom favour coffee from the MacDonalds in the mall opposite.
Posted on: Mon, 26 Jan 2015 03:38:34 +0000
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