Today India celebrates its 59th year as a republic, with the usual show of pompous chauvinism, misplaced fervour, idiotic enthusiasm, and hypocritic patriotism-people sport the tri-colour of the national flag in their clothes, on their bodies; flags waving everywhere, radios blaring patriotic songs, TVs carrying movies on valour, bravery- in a fictitious world, where the "hero" always wins and dies-for the sake of his country. The biggest attraction on the idiot box is ofcourse the RD parade with a show by our jawans in glorious costumes, cantering horses of our cavalry, a grandiose display of our military might with rolling tanks and giant rockets-and our politicians-the villans of this nation, lined up in white with holy expressions, to pay homage to where we have arrived, as a nation.
A nation focussed in giving countless awards to prove its greatness- colouring its poverty with a display of plastic glitter and shine, covering the sorrow of its dying farmers with its nuclear might- a nation bent on proving its worthiness by the number of its malls, cars on its choked streets, filth in its gutters. A proclamation of its worthiness, when our richest compete with the others of their creed, globally.
Are we rich when the basic human right to 'life,liberty and pursuit of happiness' is not even an allowed dream for most? When our police run rampant like wild savages to curb democratic right to speech, protest? when development is a word reserved for the privileged upper crust and valued higher than the basic human needs of most?Do we not struggle with our impotent shame when women are still killed for dowry, female foeticide is still rampant, where one's sex, wealth or caste is the basis for even entering the national conscience stream?
Who are we? and what are we proud of? what is really a patriot? The more we need to prove ourselves at a global level, the less we focus on who and what we have become- at home. On this day we again realise that we have willingly sold ourselves to white masters who dictate our lives, dreams, ideals, so our freedom-so difficultily won, is once again sold away to imitate those who define our right and wrong, good and bad, and our definition of happiness itself.We now do this selling daily, continuously, trampling on our brothers, sisters, children, maiming our people, culture, so our termitic colonies can look like theirs.
No! I cannot
salute a flag
show my glee
that we are free
free to wantonly
dessimate and destroy
trampling along the way
rights of all!
that we may
one day
look like Them
with bleached bodies
coloured hair
fake bosoms
designer wear.
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