-some decade and half into the past..and it was about the chocolates and sweets we got..
there was also some cermony that took place..we watched curiously.. wide eyed.
It was that special day of the year..it seemed very important...everybody said so.
-a decade back... it meant wearing the 'white' uniform even if it wasn't wednesday or the games day as they used to call it.. We took a few social studies lessons so we kinda knew what the hullah was about...There were other trappings as well..numerous competitions.. the essay writings.. the elocutions..the dance,painting,singing...u name it... And the award cermony was on that day na.... felt all smug and the nose on its own volition flew a few inches higher into the air,when your name was called out in front of the whole gathering and the 'biggies' congratulated and gave away those prizes... and when you happened to win more..you tried to put on a ..oh-another-day-at-work pose... lol
But we could atleast decipher why a particular gentleman's photo was garlanded and a ceremony performed before the flag was hoisted.
Songs were sung in fervour and salutation done with all the pride..
Pride, we had..why ...I am not sure we understood. A job for the history lessons and the speeches given..
Meanwhile..we grew...learnt few things..unlearnt many others..
In other words..were beginning to understand what those fancy terms in the social studies text books meant.. The Prime Minister's address was watched religiously...
Newspapers were tasty like never-before..
-After school..the whole ceremonial charm kinda faded away a little.... The celebration was in TV now...
-Somehow nobody went to college that day... The News channels had taken over.... some respectable one's were granted the viewership.. People came out with theme songs...
Discussions were carried out .. important people were part of the panels.. that glossed over how's of 'had been' and 'will be' of the nation.
People from all walks of life... told the guy who claimed, was from a news channel..'what the day meant to them'.
Meanwhile things happen... you read books..you see movies..you live... you also think...
You watch news more carefully... The discussion on national issues draw u in.
Issues surface..you react.. you have opinions. You understand things better. Learn to look at the larger picture.Understand the 'grey's of life. Re-look at past...your opinions and judgments. Global perspective comes into picture...Regional becomes more important than ever-before.
You learn new things everyday. Unlearn too.
-Today...I celebrated in/with the News Channels... their discussions ,I followed. Compared my list of 10 defining moments. Took it all in...the flash-back...Allowed the whole thing to sink in.
Moments of reflection....of thought.
Is it the complete bombardment of cheer from all sides..the fervor or the Anthem
(sung soulfully by all my favourite singers)... repeated 'n' times.. in 'n' styles..on 'n' instruments..
or the really cute ad where a 5 year old...wishes the flag..a very happy birthday.....?
I donno...
But yes... I have an optimistic smile on my face...
Optimistic enough for me to look back and marvel....
And future..oh Yeah...I see my 'rhoota-hua-dost'...hope. Though I confess to not have completely gotten over my cynic friend.... I shall however in the spirit of the day.. hope that he remains dormant for a while...
-Its that time of the year... we call it our Independence Day...
August the 15th.
Cheers.
9 comments:
Regional becomes important than ever before - I never understood why.
Great writing...
Yes..its that time of the year...
The rush of pride.. the glimpse of the flag..
I yearn for that here...
@ravptor..
Well... now that u say it.. I see how that line came out.. not really as I intended..
An update shall follow.. with an attempt at more lucid and decipherable writing.
@leena..
:)
did u miss sthng??
"happy independence day"..hehe...never managd to understnd..wat was so HAPPY abt independence day...never..never since i was 10!!
@IC
Ouch!...
If you had doubts about going ga-ga over our independence on a particular day..or the celebrations din't exactly induce you with a patriotic-fervor... I would have understood.
BUT..you say..what is 'happy' about the Independence Day...???!!!
I still have doubts if thats what you meant... (I wish my doubts were true)
About wishing happy independence day... No..I didnot send people sms saying that...nor did I verbally acknowledge it to people I met that day.. But that is totally a trivial issue ain't it? The point is... it IS personal...and it matters... not the celebrations...but the FACT.. that we are independent..
Please tell me... that the freedom that we have sooo taken for granted
deserves respect...
hmm...simply put..i wasnt talkng abt the independence.it was abt the independence day.ntng stirs an emotion in me on tat particular day...
knew u wud come up wid ths...was jst a trap!!hehe!!
n i was talkng exactly abt the sms i still receive and ppl scrapping me pics of Indian flag...blah blah blah!!=))
in a line... how did u intend it to sound? Maybe i got it wrong...
ah well...in a line...(difficult)
actually what was running at the back of my mind was the seperation of states on linguistic lines...
I somehow never(till now) gave it much importance and never appreciated what the sentence 'unity in diversity' meant.. The after-hours of independence were fragile... acknowledging the differences and sayng that you shall have your cultural identity preserved was important.
Scores of english historians predicted at the time of independence that India would never survive..it would simply fall apart.1500 princely states... diff castes..religions..how was unity possible...?!
We found a way..dint we?:) Let people be themselves.. if hindi was deliberately shoved down throats of south-indians.. they wouldnt have liked it. Instead you acknowledge their culture n language.. and today.. they have taken well to hindi n english naturally..
Ofcourse I am totally against the concept of putting regional before national...
My point is ... you can't ignore it.. its a part of their identity and it necessarily not conflict with the 'national'..
When I said... Regional becomes important than ever before.. it was a personal statement... it was me coming to realise that certain things have to be respected n acknowledged.
Hmm... i guess the wording stumped me the first time, pt. taken.
But then, for me personally, regional was always imp. I distinguish, sub - consciously even though its trivial and downright ridiculous.
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