WISHING EVERYONE A VERY HAPPY INDEPENDENCE DAY!!!

         

           

As I put my alarm on snooze for the umpteenth time , I casually happened to notice the phone screen . It showed 23 smses and in a moment I was wide awake wondering who on earth tried reaching me at the crack of dawn ! Worried , I squinted and unlocked my phone . 

         Tadaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa ....! All 23 smses were informing me about the different sales that were going on at all possible locations and how PRIVILEGED I was to be able to enjoy them (albeit for a limited period  or till stocks last ). . This got me thinking furiously about many things ultimately leading me to pen down this blog.

 So dear folks , kindly enlighten me ..... 

AM I PRIVILEGED BECAUSE I CAN BUY JEANS AT JEANS JUNCTION TODAY AT A DISCOUNT OF 31% AND THEREBY CELEBRATE INDEPENDENCE DAY  ?

OR BECAUSE I CAN PURCHASE A HELIOS WATCH AT FLAT 50% RATE & CELEBRATE , BECAUSE APPARENTLY OUR FREEDOM FIGHTERS WORE HELIOS AND SACRIFICED THEIR LIVES FOR OUR FREEDOM !!! 

OR BECAUSE EBAY GIVES ME SHOPPING AZAADI ONLY ON OUR AZAADI DAY  ?

       OK. I get the fact that in the world of E COMMERCE , we need to market ourselves and it is survival of the fittest. But I completely disagree with the way products are being marketed citing shopping is the way to celebrate INDEPENDENCE DAY!  Agreed , we all purchase during this period as we end up getting a steal on most deals. But are we creating a right image ? I see teens and even us adults getting excited and waiting eagerly for such National holidays so that we can shop to our hearts desire !!! Most children today do not know the story of our freedom struggle , the trials and tribulations faced , the story of our heritage & culture, our constitution, our eminent leaders ( Other than Gandhiji ) or how far we have progressed from being a third world country and the way we were looted of our vast richness. I am saddened and hurt folks. I remember as a kid we used to have a parade at school followed by speeches on great leaders & their thought process followed by unfurling of our flag ,reciting the national anthem and singing many patriotic songs. . I still watch the REPUBLIC DAY PARADE with excitement every year .. ( I might be one of the few who do ).. Today I went down for the flag hoisting and saw precisely 4 people waiting (ALL SUPER SENIOR CITIZENS) . Despite the watchman going door to door informing all ,no one turned up. 

     

              I think it is pathetic that we have all the time in the world to SNAPCHAT & WATSAPP & LIKE pics on FB .But when it comes to hoisting our flag and singing our anthem proudly we don't have time ! Do we have any idea of the fact of how privileged we actually are to reside in this country ??? 

         

           Yes, there are several issues . But then which country doesn't have it's set of problems ? I do not get it how we only complain but do nothing to change the system. It takes time , effort and most importantly ACTIVE PARTICIPATION of the citizens to weed out the vices from a country. It requires COMMITMENT and independence from all DEPENDENCIES. People who do not even know the A B C of sports start giving expert comments on how miserably our athletes are performing at RIO. People go hog at fancy restaurants having Independence day theme and thereby celebrate our national day .People post pics of themselves in  the TRI COLOUR attire/ with the TRI COLOUR  and hashtag themselves as  "celebrating Independence day ".The next day we see the gutters choked with flags strewn all over.  Others lament there is no Daaru today.... 

                                      SERIOUSLY GUYS ? Is this what Independence means to us now ? 

          Why this urge to do things only for oneself ? My father in law is in the crime branch. He and several others have been working round the clock ( LITERALLY ) since the past 3 days to ensure that there is peace all over . Think about our soldiers ..  There are so many who sacrifice their lives so that we can sleep at peace .The least we can do to repay them is show our GRATITUDE and help atleast ONE NEEDY PERSON in whatever way we can ! 

               

                  Why not take an oath to work towards betterment of the needy today? Why not celebrate our National day with street kids and teach them our National anthem and our history ? Why not go door to door and gather clothes in a usable condition and donate those to the needy and celebrate ? Why not cook a hearty meal and feed  the hungry today ? Why not take a pledge today to strive to bring about labour dignity and reduce corruption ? 

               True independence is yet to come folks! It shall be when we learn to put aside our differences and learn to look at the larger picture .When we realise we are equally responsible towards the betterment of our Motherland ,just as we hold our politicians to be ! It shall be when we learn to respect our national heritage ,our culture , our country's flora and fauna , our roads  and not litter or deface them . It shall be when each one of us privileged folks change the life of  one needy for the better........ THE WORLD HAS PLENTY OF CRITICS ALREADY. .LET US BE AN ENCOURAGER !

Hope I live long enough to see this day !!! 

Until then , BHARAT MATA KI JAI !!!! 

JAI HIND !! :)