India is a land of celebrations: religious, cultural, social, spiritual and patriotic. It is toughest living abroad when the country is celebrating these festive occasions. We just celebrated India’s 70th Independence Day. I find myself surfing Facebook feeds, devouring editorials and feeling immensely patriotic. But at the same time, I realise the uphill battle India still faces. The country is slowly moving into an era where more people remember an independent India than a country fighting for freedom from the British. Given how long we have been independent; progress has not been commensurate. In the years since Independence, the powers that be have managed to sink the country to the depths of despair rather than build on her many resources and lead us to glory. The current government seems bent on turning the corner.
From the face of it, not much progress has been made but as a fervent Obama supporter, I know a magic wand cannot be the answer and these things take time. As long as a derailed India is brought back on track, I am willing to give a long leash. In the meantime, we take pride in small signs of progress given they can be classified as superficial but we have our glorious airports, newly commissioned metros, fancy malls, glass buildings and mouthwatering chain restaurants both downmarket and upmarket.
However, we need to step back and take stock. Are the real issues being addressed? Why do we still fight for reservations? We need to be a merit-based economy where women, all castes, alternative sexuality folks and handicapped get not just similar treatment but also similar opportunities. Why is education still the domain of the wealthy? Everyone should have the right to quality education. The same goes for homes and access to three square meals. After 69 years, these should no longer be luxuries but necessities. Each Indian needs to have the right to lead a dignified life.
A US professor, C K Prahlad, though no longer alive, addressed a group of patriotic Indians in NYC when India turned 60. At the time, he urged Indians to stop looking back at what they had achieved but instead look forward to the future and reel it in. He asked Indians to try and imagine the kind of India they would like to see at 75 years of independence and work towards it. A revolutionary concept and one taken up forcefully by CII and its youth wing, YI. It started the concept of India@75 and have been plugging away at trying to create CK’s vision. The focus has been on urban development and skills building.
It is great to see many groups and organisations band together to work towards this vision but it is not enough. Each individual Indian needs to own this concept. Each Indian can do his or her bit in creating an India they would be proud of when she celebrates 75 years of Independence. Only then will that hard fought battle for freedom be worth it. Only then can we say we saved the country from self-destruction. Only then can we raise that flag with pride and say yes we did it.
And talking about pride for the country, another international event has been in the news: the Olympics. And I have been following the coverage in India and in the US. Such a difference between the two. The US has been glorying in the number of gold medals their sports people have been bringing home while India was struggling with no medals and instead ridicule for our sports people especially from armchair critics. It is a tough situation. The lack of equipment, gear, nutrition has been an issue for years and is still not being addressed, Organisations like Olympic Gold Quest are doing phenomenal work but it takes more than a few concerned people to change an entire nation’s attitude. Indians need to rise to the occasion and make sports count. Academics, music, culture are revered and sports till now has only meant cricket.
In the US, everyone is invested in ensuring their athletes succeed. Whether it is beach volleyball, fencing, gymnastics or swimming, the athletes are offered great coaches, sponsorships, guidance and encouragement. And despite the odds, India is celebrating some women achievers. PV Sindhu in the badminton finals, a wrestling bronze courtesy Sakshi Malik, a possible golf medal through Aditi Ashok and Dipa’s fourth place finish in gymnastics.
As we celebrate 69 years of Independence, it is time we, as Indians, take a pledge to work towards improving this great nation we all love. Let us all strive in any way we can, to give jobs to the jobless, homes to the homeless, hope to the hopeless and voice to the voiceless. Let us encourage our sports people instead of ridiculing them and maybe by 2022, the world will stand up and take notice.
Once we believe we can, India can.
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