A confident Indian!!!

Dictionary.com has one of the definitions of “Destiny” as follows:

Destiny:  A predetermined course of events considered as something beyond human power or control

As much as i do not like the sound of that definition (particularly the “beyond human power or control” part), I have come to believe lately that there is more truth in that definition than any other that i have come across till now.

Here was my definition of “Destiny”:

Destiny: a seven letter word that is abused almost universally as a cause of all our problems, or the cause of events that we would not like to take blame for.

I had always believed, and still do upto a certain extent, that we control our own destiny. That blaming things on “destiny” was only a way to excuse ourselves from trying to work that much harder. By blaming an event or series of bad-lucks on destiny, we as humans found a good excuse not to try to analyze our losses or drawbacks.

Either i was too over-confident, or too ignorant to the powers of a certain someone/something out there, which somehow charts a particular course for each individual.

How else would you explain a “Deve Gowda” with 3 MP’s in parliament becoming the Prime Minister of this huge country of ours. What a waste. If ever there was a lighter side to the effects of destiny that was it.

Over the course of the last few years, I have come to realize more and more that there is an external force out there which seems to control our fate/destiny because everyone seems to be using it a lot.

There has been a joke going around for years together.. “if there is an atheist in god (or any external power), bring him to india, and he will start believing in him(it)”

We have laughed about it for years, and never realized how that joke is on all of us and how pathetic we are not to realize that instead of laughing about it, we should do something about changing it.

A country next door trained its eyes on us and has challenged our sovereignty, if we do not stand up to it now, i dont think we ever will. How many incidents does it take for a sleeping nation to wake up?

1.    Attact on Parliament - 2001

2.    Akshardham Attack - 2002

3.    Kargil Intrusion - 1999

4.    Banagalore – 2005 & 2008

5.    Ahmedabad - 2008

6.    New Delhi - 2008

7.    Mumbai Attacks - 2008

 Even kumbkarna used to wake up after 6 months. It has taken more than 4 years since we were first challenged, and what has been our best response? THAT THERE HAS BEEN NO FREAKING RESPONSE.

From NDA to the UPA we lack a strong will to roar out to the world and to that neighbour next door that we are not going to be F**ked around. After 9/11 it took the US less than 6 months to wage a war against the Taliban. It took them less than 2 years to wage a war against Saddam. That country did what it had to to protect its own interest. WHY CANT WE?

Dont get me wrong, i am not asking India to wage a WAR against Pakistan. If we are smart enough we can play the same game as they are doing. Start a civil war in an already divided country, and then get them so held up in their own problems that they do not have enough time or money to wage a pseudo war against us.

But am i confident that my government and my intelligence system is shrewd enough to play that game? I dont think so. And for the lack of that, if the only response is to take back Pok, hey, go ahead and do it. Lets go get our land back. This is as good an opportunity as any to make ourselves count.

I want to be a Indian who is confident that his country will not let alone any country or any person who dares train his eyes at our way of life. Sadly enough, that is not the case today.

I want to be a confident Indian. And Only I can change that.

Lets bring about a change. Its time to build a confident India and a confident Indian.

Lets not leave it on Fate and Destiny.

 

List of attacks in recent times:

1 October 2001

Attack on J&K State Legislative

Assembly, Srinagar

 

13 December 2001

Attack on the Indian Parliament,

New Delhi

 

24 September 2002

Akshardham Temple Attack

 

25 August 2005

Twin Blasts, Mumbai

 

29October 2005

Blasts in New Delhi

 

28December 2005

Attack on the Indian Institute of

Science, Bangalore

 

7 March 2006

Serial Blasts in Varanasi

 

11 July 2006

Mumbai Train blasts

 

Aug. 25, 2007

Hyderabad Blasts

 

Nov. 23, 2007

Blasts in Lucknow, Varanasi, Faizabad

 

May 13, 2008

Jaipur Blasts

 

 

Homecoming..

Original date of blog: 14th November 2008. 

Its nice to be back home after one of the longest trips (vacation+work) i have ever had. I cant remember another time when i have been away from work/studies for almost 4 weeks (2 days shy of 4 weeks). Towards the end of the trip i couldn’t wait to get back to india (even though i was with a friend who helped me have a really fantastic time in NY and Washington during the end of my trip). Woow it feels good. It feels good to be back in a country where old men who seem well educated and speak really good english are fighting with other older men at the baggage claim belts for a position right besides the belt. I love my country.

I don’t know what it is about the air in our country. I believe we breathe-in “oxygen” in india, which is what they inhale in the US too. My flight to the US was filled with as many Indians as my return flight to Mumbai. But i did not see these same Indians fighting at JFK airport for a position right besides the belt. I could hear the same Indians, using “excuse me” and “thank you” at JFK, but all of a sudden when they are back on Indian soil or inhaling the air in india, all that courtesy goes down the freaking drain. It couldn’t be the water of india that screws up our brains, because nobody had a chance to have water between deplaning and baggage claim. i knew i was back in india when i heard passengers shouting and fighting at the Mumbai airport.  

Mumbai, the business capital of india, and probably the airport through which maximum number of people “officially” enter into India and boy, the welcome we give them is absolutely mind-blowing. I dont think this is because of an unorganized system. I think our authorities are soo freaking smart that they planned this chaos at the airport, i think they intentionally make people get frustrated and have long queues to “Exit” the airport (this long queue is after customs and immigration is cleared, juz to get out of the darn airport). I think it is classic thinking on the part of authorities, so that Indians coming back from an excellent vacation or returning for a brief vacation and the international visitors know what awaits them once they leave the airport (chaos, queues and a dogfight for everything). We dont pretend in this country, at the entrance itself we show you how it really is out there. Give them credit for this phenomenal concept that none of us could even decipher. I’d like to take credit for finally deciphering it. lol

I knew there is a reason why i am fond of my country. Its organized chaos, and i am as much a part of it as anybody else.

I came back to a video of 5 college students beating up another helpless student with sticks (more like baseball bats) till he was almost dead. It was absolutely gruesome and there were other students and policemen standing there watching. This video is over all the news channels. I say, F**k the guy who was shooting the video and hang the cops who were standing there watching those animals beat up a helpless student to death. What did our government do?? Suspend the police officers and transfer the police commissioner to another city. And is this supposed to be enough punishment for the police authorities who instead of protecting the student were enjoying the show? And besides, those animals who were beating that guy up are caught on video but are roaming the streets free as a bird.

I came back to the headlines of a german mother pulling back the case of “rape of her daughter” against a ministers son in goa. If a girl cannot have a decent trial of rape against whoever goddarn’s son it is, then screw the system of our country. There needs to be a change, and it better come quickly.

The chaos is fine, but law and order in a filth, is not what you call a democracy. You cannot be proud of hosting the worlds biggest democracy, when your law and order system has gone to the dogs. And then, we wonder why more and more people choose a life and career outside india. What option do we leave them???

We are a country where if you are moderately rich and influential, you win, and if not, you are left in a dog fight to survive your existence. As extreme as it sounds, it feels that way today to me.

I am lucky enough to barely fall into that first category, and so i will stay here and keep fighting through the system, but i absolutely understand why millions of Indians leave for a better life outside india.

And hey, despite of all that i have said, i still am fond of my country and appreciate the thousands of wonderful things it has to offer to me. But today, it hurts to come back to this.

I will end this by admitting that it is as much my fault as a citizen of India as it is of the politicians and bureaucrats since i choose my career and personal life before trying to do something about it.

Maybe, Someday. :-)