Independence and its aftermath

Independence is an over rated word nowadays. I did a post independence survey amongst my social virtual networking circle as the mood on face book, my family, the social circle I live in and also the general public made me sit up and realize we are one hell of a disgruntled lot. And, it’s nothing to do with onions or the lack of it. We will complain even if everything is going well, a) because we have nothing better to do, b) as Indians we have an opinion on everything, even the Aliens landing in Ladakh c), try and stop us. In this we have a fatalistic attitude.

As always, Independence Day makes us one think, pause and remember but what is trending these days is disgust, an attitude where ‘we’ would be happier living under the British’s! This is something I can’t fathom. The endless arguments, the reasons given by oh! So logical minds just fly by my head. For me, it is as simple as that, how can one be happier living a slave? Imagine a scenario, where the Brits ruled us now, we would be second rate citizens, a country where they would decide what to do, we would live according to their segregation based on our color of the skin equated on the same level as dogs.

The best answer was from across the border by a smart intelligent lady, a wife of a seasoned politician, Meheriene Quershi, who sums it up as frightening!

Another NRI just said we would just come and go to England without visas.

Independence so earned is abused today, yes by our politicians, by the system, by the rulers who seduce us every five years by a lollipop of schemes thrown at us. I just want to ask, this did not happen overnight? Nor did it magically appear, neither did aliens attack us and change the system to corruption. This systematic degradation happened, because we let it be. It wasn’t overnight we are also guilty. The worst tribute being to nonchalantly saying oh we should have let them rule us. Why did countless martyrs die? What was the reason of their ideology? Were they plain stupid to die for our today?

Yes, the British gave us our infrastructure, the finest locomotives but they did to access our interiors; they did not do it for our good; it was for the betterment of the Empire , the Queen .

A new friend, a teacher in the US, and a daughter of a father who is in the Forces aptly sums up what I feel.. ‘Men fight for liberty and win it with hard knocks. Their children bought up easy let it slip away again , poor fools . And their grandchildren are once more slaves.” D.H. Lawrence . I feel she hits the nail on the head but to not read the writing on the wall is a bigger stupidity and a higher form of corruption.