The Nurse’s mistake!

I fear the end is out there. I can see the smoke billowing from the ashes.

 

And I fear my dear nation that throbs in every faculty of my being is on the verge of another partition. I see flags of religion atop the country’s democratic institutions, down the alleys of power to the gullies of the poor. 

 

I see civil society being split up by the venom brewed by hoarders of evil whose only aim is to remain in the power, to be the be-all and the end-all of a nation that has never invaded others always welcomed outsiders with both hands, been the great backdrop of culture for thousands of years, which has been a guiding example to the west and orient.  

 

If a duty nurse had made a mistake, some of us would have ended up in different families! Some from other religions or castes and we would have grown up in that faith too. Now, where do the roots of religion, creed, and custom come from now?

 

Those who make war cries on religion should get their DNA tested and I am sure that one or two may be direct descendants from the apes, without the necessary evolution that would have happened to normal human beings. The primal instincts of these warriors are essentially that of illiterate, under-evolved primates who are known for their herd mentalities and those of hunters. They need to keep hunting to remain in survival mode, lest become the food of another.  

 

I see the same primates, the same hunters here. I see them armed by not daggers or guns, but even more aggressive weapons that some of us fools think are nationalist cudgels being carried to protect us, save us. Little we realize that we are being led by the hand to the podiums of a culturally impoverished society, where only the haves remain and the have-nots have to starve.
I have a suggestion for the government. Send these so-called religious warriors on compulsory military service. They should be deployed in Pakistan and China Border. Let them see what real combat and enemy is. Instead of unleashing their pent up anger on fellow countrymen, we must use their energy to protect our motherlands from external aggressors.

Wonder what the so-called Senas and Vahinis and brigades were doing when a few lads from across the border came in and pumped bullets after bullets into innocents?  That too, in the safest city that boasts of the most professional police force, Mumbai! Were they playing cards, chewing pan or drinking free brew? Where were their leaders then? One is a Chief Minister now! Is he the CM of his party or the state? Look at the vitriolic speeches made by these debased leaders and see how much venom they spill on the minds of young, impressionable minds. Sometimes they even supersede the Pakistani aggression against India. Laws that are made by the constitution should be enforced not embalmed for posterity and these people should not be adorning the chairs of the elected assembly but should be sent to permanent incarceration.

From time to time, regardless of the political goons, we voted for, the Minorities and backward castes have all been taken advantage of under promises of a better tomorrow and development. Did they get the kingdom promised? They all are herded into a corner where they have lost their primary identity as bonafide citizens of this country.

These are the same people who took part in every riot exhorted by their masters, and tore their voices in rallies in slogans and killed all that they saw, at the behest of their leaders. And where are they now? Rotting in jails, across the country! What happened to their families and the ones of those who got killed? Where are the masters? Some of them are Chief Ministers!

I have seen educated Pakistanis living abroad drop their voice as if it’s a shame for them when asked about their nationality. Like all aware human beings, their lament is visible.

 

As an Indian, I have always held my head high, but today! I don't know. We seem to lose our civic sense, our identity, our ideals and our collective consciousness. Instead of uniting us countrymen, the dark voices are again dividing us into castes, creeds, laity and mighty. Our professions, qualifications, knowledge are all being replaced by our Gothras and divine precincts of birth!

 

Is it some sort of a personal achievement that one is born in a rich family or a higher caste? What if the nurse had made a mistake? What if it’s an infidel sperm that initiated you? And it was a low caste repository that produced the imbecile that you are? See, your voice dropped! I can see you lower your head in shame!  

We glue to the 9 pm prime time diatribe that our loud friends make every night. We secretly rejoice when someone else gets ridiculed, tried and judged without any rhyme or reason. We have no idea whether what we hear is fact or fiction made on the desk, yet we make our opinions on people we only have read about.

 

We cling to the rubbish thrown us at by our so-called political vultures. We let these vultures determine our judgement and we help them lead us in a way our future generations will conduct their lives based on their religion and caste.

 

My driver will be Raman, my gardener will be Sethuram, my barber will be Ram Mohan and my grocer will be Santharam! I will first check the ID of the Swiggy man before I decide to accept the food now and check the owner's religion and ensure he belongs to mine before I walk into a garment or jeweller store! Is that the Great Indian Culture all about? I would call it the Great Indian Tragedy V3, the Partition in 1947 and the Emergency in 1976 being the first two.

 

Some years ago a Middle Eastern state brought in-laws of nationalization in the service sector and started laying off people from other countries. In a few months, they realized their foolishness. There were no drivers, no attenders, no cleaners, no grocers and no assistants. The leaders thought that now that they have everything money can buy, they don’t need these foreigners who are akin to rats, who snack on the leftovers. They didn’t know the ecosystem needed even rats and beings of all kinds. Today they sit and cry, drinking kava and smocking shisha. Soon their future generations will be forced to work in China as menial labourers.

 

We need to revisit where we have reached and see whether we are proud of the fall we have let us into. India has reached where is it is economically not because of the politicians but because as a civilization we are driven by knowledge. It is because of our revered family system that we have a younger average population compared to even China. It is because of our traditional resilience and acceptance that our neighbours are able to safely follow their faith and speak their languages. They are part of our lives, not a disturbance; an integral part of the eco-system. We need them as much as they need us.

 

Before we are led by the powerful voices that threaten to shatter the very social fabric of our great nation, we need to understand. This has to stop. This social divide is evil and will make us a laughing stock in front of all. We need to rise as archetypes have whenever there was social oppression. Let us proud of what we were once and we desperately need to be a culture of inclusiveness, a culture of cultures that embrace all and be proud in our diversity. 

 

Let us be Indians, inheritors of the great Indian values, Tyaga (renunciation), Dana (Liberal giving), Nistha (Dedication) Satya (Truth), Ahimsa (Non-violence) and Upeksha (forbearance).

 

We don’t need any flags to uphold them.