Is patriotism defunct?

Is patriotism defunct?

A visit to a local theatre, an evening out and standing up to honor the national anthem being played has raised so many questions and a debate in me which has left me shaken and facing an issue which is so futile that it should not have been raised in the first place. How much is 52 seconds of your life? I mean of one’s day. Minuscule, zilch and if one has to stand to salute or pay respect to the unknown soldier who lays down his life irrespective of whether you are Punjabi, Haryanvi or a Keralite. The bullet kills not asking the caste or creed. They die fighting at the orders in skirmishes which are never reported but the coffin comes back and a little column is printed, the human behind the commission number dismissed.

 Have we as a nation forgotten the sacrifices made to achieve this nation? Is patriotism only valuable for the speeches given by our honorable politicians to swing the votes and by the movie industry to churn out blockbusters playing on sentiments inflaming them to a crescendo?

I had one debater say,’ how can one standing up (or not) demonstrate one’s love for the nation? And then this learned gentleman further says why should one love the nation in the first place? A nation and its symbols the songs, anthem, flags are just political entities. They represent the political system and not the country. All the Indians crib against inefficient political system but feel offended when one doesn’t respect the symbols. I love my country, but don’t feel obliged to respect the nation.

What, where how, when did this mindset happen? I am shocked, dismayed, saddened by the fact that standing and paying respect for a nation al anthem (wherever it is played) is deemed as tres’ bizarre. Have become so cynical that we see a conspiracy by a motley crew of 800 odd politicians who run /rule this country? It is infitissemaly better to live in a corrupt country where there is freedom than an Islamic nation or a pseudo fake democrat country. I feel, we the present generation and the next have had it too easy. Every thing is available; we have had no struggle. In fact the struggle for a normal Punjabi male today is to sell his land and a bigger SUV than his counterpart; and for the young Punjaban girl it is to get the next designer outfit. Why has all the jazba been frittered away? Has the blood been so thinned by years of aping the west that we have become so nonchalant that we say yes I love Punjab, my country but I don’t give two annas (Pun) for my nation and its symbols. I mean when did you divide the nation and the country?

I remember, and people from the village get it slow, we are enclosed on the map, in the same nation and the country. And, to make fun of a soldier who chooses his job as he has the junoon and the jazba and not because of the pay, well only Captain Haddock sums  up my feeling to this insensitivity,” Billions of blue blistering barnacles in ten thousand thundering typhoons!”

Patriotism is not an invisible thing , it can’t be seen touched or bottled or sold at the nukkad shop but it is a living jazba in one; and trust me someone who says it’s not there , mister you are so missing Mera Bharat mahaan .

Jai Hind

Ravneet Sangha.