R.M-C.S.S.I

Reactionary, Media Crazy, Senasationalist Society of India! That is what the title of this post stands for.

This is what defines us as the modern, awakened, enabled and active population of India. We only know how to react to things, be it the Pubgoing Girls' Molestation, Pink Chaddi or Pink Condom.

Courtesy: The Hurst Review (Blog)

Somebody makes a movie and we protest.
Somebody makes a cold-drink and we protest.
Somebody opens a car manufacturing unit and we protest.
Somobody gets an admission to a school and we protest.
Somebody doesn't and still we protest.
Somebody makes a painting and we protest.
Somebody wins a medal and we protest.
Somebody fails by an inch and we protest.
If one buys a cheap car, we protest for the lack of infrastructure.
If one buys an expensive imported car, we protest for sales duty.
If you are a Hindu, you protest against Muslim.
If you are Muslim, you protest against Hindu.

All this for what? For creating sensation and to be featured on a TV show.
Ten forums, twenty debates and thousand public reactions later, what are you supposed to do?
Pick another thing to protest about!
There is either no soul left in this country, or the soul is so inertia-trodden that it simply can't raise its head above the ground.
When will it be enough? I am still looking for a solution...will be right back with it.

Do we want religiously homogeneous Nations around the world?

I just now read my post that I have written as a dialogue with myself, and I am so disturbed to realize that there is an unequivocal communal streak in the tone of my voice in that post. I am sure I was very angry while writing that stuff, but I am surprised that I could have been so angered as to lose the perspective I have maintained for most of my life. Thanks to our politicians and their vile, to have created again a situation in our country that made people of two major religious persuasions to be at each others' necks with the loggerheads. I had almost fallen prey to this malicious political propaganda. Thank God that I didn't get carried away!

I am a secular! Yes. I don't mind living with a mix of people, following different sets of religious persuasions and living by their own standards, practices and customs.

However, what I am extremely against is the disregard towards a Nation's policies and laws. The lack of respect towards the integrity of a country, in the current age of cut throat professional (economic) competition, by the citizens of that country. I recently visited Malaysia and Singapore, both of which regard themselves as Muslim countries. The infrastructure, civic sense and development in these two countries are amazing, given the fact that they are both at least 10 years younger than India (in terms of attaining political independence.)

Now, how can I say that it is a certain religion that comes in the way of development of a Society or a Nation as a whole. That is certainly not the case! These two countries are not only with the largest Muslim proportions in South East Asia, even the cultural and social system (based on whatever I could observe as a tourist) is not as communal or racial as I would have expected it to be (having lived most of my life in India and having been taught to look at the other religious practices only from the corner of my eye, as if they were ready to convert or kill me if I dared to look at them wholeheartedly or if I looked at them and decided to be indifferent.) With more than 70%, 80% or 90% people belonging to the same religion that the whole world is criticizing for encouraging world wide terrorism, these two Nations have come a long way in terms of growth and development. And I heard the natives say more than once (of course I had provoked such a reaction) "We are not racial!", as an indication that they didn't subscribe to the much promoted Jihad that militant groups like LeT and Taliban are endorsing.

Masjid on the way to Mutiara Burau Bay Resort

So, what makes people in these countries focus and work towards the growth and development aspects of their Nation. Why would they not spit all over the road as symbol of freedom in a democratic country? You can often hear the cabbies say, "It's a free country." What makes them so proud of it and honor the traffic regulations, lane driving and cleanliness requirements of the city life.

Why can't we, the Indians, have equally clean roads, and by-lanes that don't stink of urine and human faeces? Why can't we follow the lane discipline or honor a pedestrians' right to cross the road, without the fear of being run over? Why can't we expect our children to walk through the market unattended and return home safe and sound?

It is not that there is no crime in these two countries, of course there is. I recall hearing the Crime Prevention Beureau commercials, requesting the citizens to be attentive and fight crime by following security guidelines. However, a normal family in such countries spends more time planning a picnic to the tourists spots than worrying about the queue for public facilities at the tourist spots that are either hardly usable or way too outnumbered.

A village house in Langkawi
One might say that it is because the people (the majority being that of Muslims) of these two countries don't feel any threats to their religion and hence have no insecurities. And only because they are safe and secure, they tend to focus more towards the development of the Nation.

I have major objections to such frog-in-the-well mentality. Indian sub-continent has nations that are mostly homogeneous in terms of religious mix of people. Yet, they haven't managed to follow the growth path as phenomenally as Malaysia and Singapore have. Tourism is widely popular means of earning a living in these two countries and citizens take all the care in maintaining the cleanliness, infrastructure, public transport and other lifelines of a country rather than mutilating them by over use or misuse.

Why then is it so hard for a Nation that so proudly carries a heritage of more than 5 millenniums?

To be continued...

Take The Pledge, Be The Force of The Nation

Fellow Indians, this is a time when the Nation needs to understand that we are entering an age where Global Terrorism becoming the most viable (highly paid) career option for a certain set of people (mostly mislead or ill-treated by their governments and without jobs that offer a decent living) and this is a fact that was shared (though not officially) by a friend, who is working as Anti-Terrorism analyst and has worked closely at some of the worlds renowned ground zeroes.

As per the analysts, "terrorism is an industry that does not seem to be headed for a recession any time soon."

We today are a nation of largest youth population and the per capita income and spending power (translated as the ability to influence the general trend of the nation) of the middle income group (which constitutes the largest part of the population) has grown considerably in last ten years, yet we are not able to ensure that our Nation is secure enough for our children and their future.

Here are some things that come to my mind, and I am sure more and more Indians today would concur with me on the following, so why not make them into a practice that can't be ignored by the generations to come, and bring a socio-political change in this country.

1. Vote Responsibly.
   
2. Be Accountable for you Actions and encourage accountability in your personal and professional circles.
3. Respect the Nation's need to follow the Laws and Practice Civic Sense (for instance Jaywalking is a crime, learn to appreciate and accept it, even though it looks so unrelated to the moment, it is all about being a responsible citizen)
4. Discourage Bribery and any other bypasses around the law.
5. Get Active, take a walk rather than a siesta.
6. Pamper your kids but don't turn them into outlaws, make them socially responsible right from the start of their education.
7. Don't be an activist who wants somebody to do something about the problems you are facing, you should be the one to solve your problems, just let others know how they can help.
8. Take terrorist threats seriously and understand that tomorrow it could be you lying around the corner in a pool of blood. However, don't start distrusting your neighbors without a reason. Be alert but not an alarmist.
9. Maturity is knowing how to make the best out of the worst of situations.
10. Nothing is permanent, don't be complacent.

Feel freed to add more to these points and circulate them among your friends and family. We can't simply sit and watch our Nation go to dogs.

I am putting my security and future in your hands, please don't let me down.

God Bless India!