Every August, it will be Independence Day just like it was since the day it all began way back in 47 which many of us would've never seen.... The entire nation will wear a festive look. The tri-colour will flutter on the buildings and roads. The media will recapitulate the events of the freedom struggle. Political leaders will display their oratorical prowess from public platforms listing out their achievements and calling upon the masses to be vigilant in guarding the country's sovereignty against external aggression. As usual, they will dish out more promises to work for the uplift of the downtrodden and poor and ensuring equal rights and opportunities to one and all as enshrined in the Constitution.
As we all would know, ours is a predominantly agricultural country. You like him or not, Mahatma Gandhi had said, "the heart of India lies in its villages". The majority of our population lives in villages. Even after 62 years of Independence, most of them live below the poverty line and are socially oppressed. Though we have made impressive and spectacular strides in various fields like science and technology, education and industries, Its imperarative that the benefits have not reached the common man (Aam Aadmi) . Basic needs such as drinking water, electricity and shelter are still a distant dream for many. We should look deeper inside within so as to develop our outlook. There are lots more to be done at the grassroot level. Developing the villages (gaav's) should be our topmost priority for us to move forward to reach the status of the superpower. Rather we are making deals and working with cities just to make them more glamorous and attractive towards the FDI's and VC's. Unless we develop our basic infra nothing gonna change even if things seems so won't last for years and aren't worth to take us to the level we all aspire of.
Our economic order has been liberalised and has drifted away from nationalisation to globalisation even still we stayed a bit conservative which almost saw us through these recession thing thatz rocking the world these days. Our foreign policies have always stayed introversive. But still oflate we've managed to pull of deals with other G8's to collaborate on all front to advance in Science, Technology, Industries, Textile, Engineering, Sports and even Literary & Arts. We have leaders in every front but still we lack the professional approach and the lack of proper stystem to groom the future aspirants still haunts and its not just the UID's thatz gonna help us in our way forward we need a inspiring vision with palpable action.
Our political system has become corrupt to a degree none of us can imagine. Our Politicians are totally engrossed in driving wedges between communities, religion, castes and what not to gain political mileage and strengthen their vote banks. Even the face of terror proved futile in bringing us together. Parliaments are full of dogfights without consensus on any issues. We are left fighting selfishly on every issues of national importance.
I wish every Independence Day there should be a time for political introspection by India’s political leaders and its polity as to whether they have been able to deliver on the political promises made by them to the people of India. It is also the time for personal introspection by India’s political leaders in that whether they themselves personally have contributed to the strengthening of the ‘moral fabric’ of India in terms of setting exemplary standards of political probity, honesty and integrity and also ensuring that their political flock does likewise.
Independence Day had come and went like every year but has left in its wake the troubling thought as to whether India really has ‘dignified political leaders’ or they all have juggled the spelling of ‘leaders’ and ended up as ‘political dealers’ devoid of political morality and conscience. Especially the country's current state of affairs seriously demands a reality check on everyone of us and the country as a whole. It is true that we have lots of things to boast off over the last year but its equally eventful in terms of adversities and mishaps. I would not like to dwell too much on any of the issues as it would only evoke grave criticism.
I've not been wonderstruck at the electrifying spectacle of the English parting us at the stroke of the midnight when Nehru delivered his landmark speech 'Tryst with destiny. Iam still wondering as to why India’s politicians who succeed them and those who head them can no longer recreate those electrifying moments on every passing Independence Day. The answer is obvious as there are no political leaders left of the genre of India’s freedom movement. India today has been left with ‘political pygmies’ whose sole political activity is focused not on nation-building but on devising political tricks to capture power and survive in power at any cost.
How does one term the sordid spectacle that India’s polity put on display (on the event of last elections) for the citizens who voted them to power hoping that somehow even if they were ‘not fit to lead’ they would ‘at least provide honest governance’? Will their hopes be realised or will their needs be ever fulfilled. Defenitely not as it seems so in the due course. But will this pain ever abate is left to be seen.
The Worst of all was as to how the Indian Muslim communal card was being played by the so called secular parties. In the Parliament debate where India’s national issues should have been in the forefront and especially those really connected with the trust vote in terms of honest governance no effort was spared to dramatize the Congress Party’s so called secular credentials by lionizing the speeches of Indian Muslim Members of Parliament singing praises of the Congress
Few obvious questions arise from this sordid display of low political morality. The first is whether the Congress President and the Congress Prime Minister can absolve themselves from all that happened inside and outside the Parliament last year in terms of political wheeling and dealing. Secondly, both of them should be asking themselves whether all their wheeling and dealing was politically worth it keeping in mind that they are indeed debasing further the state of political affairs in the country which is already facing a severe lack of moral credentials upon which they are built upon. They somehow had lost their ultimate goal and are fighting only for their survival and in-turn their loyals to stay in power.
The answer however to many of such questions is a resounding ‘no’. If it is their contention that by winning a trust vote or just by signing a deal with US or showing their great indifference to any of the burning issues and still boasting off their resounding win by politically and morally questionable methods has raised India’s stock in the international arena then they are deluding themselves. They have only belittled themselves and in-turn had left us in a hapless state.
Finally, the people of India themselves are to blame for facilitating the rise of a motley group of unprincipled political midgets to power by an apathetic indifference to India’s political affairs and India’s political governance. This particularly applies to India’s rising middle class like me.There had been several calls over these years that stressed on the imperatives of India’s middle class politically empowering themselves to break the stranglehold of India’s captive vote-banks on India’s electoral arithmetic
Having said all these i believe the country is at the crossroads. Its for them to take a call (timely call) on framing the path ahead and rise to the call of duty beyond all issues and adversities. I wish the current leaders would focus on taking the country in the right direction and bring about development, prosperity and peace. May thins IDay be just another beginning of a new India... Truly Independent India
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