India has traditionally been a most favoured destination for various reasons - some fuelled by greed and some by intrigue. Thus before Steve Jobs embarked on his journey to create Apple, he did spend a year trying to figure out his volition amidst the ambiance of the holy waters of Haridwar. In as much truth, many invaders have also ravaged us from time to time - not because they liked the Ganga but because of the prosperity that blossomed around the fertile Indo-Gangetic plains. As we embark upon a new promised journey to rediscover our potential, it is vital to have a perspective on how to keep this journey safe and meaningful. The invaders will eye to disrupt it. The proverbial Ghazani and Ghori attacks may want to disrupt the pathway to prosperity. And in this context the venom spewed by the likes of Hafeez Sayeed which also, unfortunately inspires some misguided men within, becomes relevant. The approach adopted by the PM elect to engage the neighbouring leaders of lands which are traditionally in conflict with us is a worthy one. Similarly, the decision of Nawaz Sharief to visit despite internal resistance also deserves applause. However, it is better to err on the right side of caution. Two things come to the mind - one the famous couplet by the nationalist poet Shri Ramdhari Singh Dinkar, ..kshama shobthi us bhujang ko jiske paas garal ho, usko Kya jo dantheen Vish Raheet Saral ho... & the other contemporary example of how the Americans play international diplomacy to their advantage. They have a society that empowers human pursuit for material prosperity, maintain an extremely cordial relationship in their part of the globe (even in the high days of Red Conflict, they preferred giving refugee status to Cubans than bomb them), dole out dollars to Pakistan but do not hesitate to violate their airspace to dish out Osama Bin Laden who had terrorised them enough to be brought to justice. And on the Memorial Day they have a contingent of 200K flags celebrating the men who fell protecting the shine of The Great American Values in lands far and away. Thus it is perfectly fine to offer refuge to people of Indian origin who are being victimised in any part of the globe, admirable to invite all neighbouring leaders to an auspicious occasion before the start of the journey but to make all this sustainable & meaningful, we will need to have the will and ability to fightback the attacks from misguided minds from the hostile neighbourhood and also within. The will is well expressed but the ability will come from the key takeaway of enabling honourable pursuits to prosperity and also a magnanimous attitude. Fortunately, we have an ocean of spiritual wisdom & strength to stay course on this pathway and a historical mandate from the electorate, We - The People of India, to do this. #VandeMataram
Posted on: Sun, 25 May 2014 04:33:45 +0000