I just finished watching Band of Brothers and was thinking about what makes Americans proud of their country. They dont have a history of 1000 yrs nor do they have a culture. America is a country of immigrants. British, Italians, Mexicans, Cubans, Indians...you name them and they are there. America is not even their native but they are overtly proud of it. There is unmistakbly a sense of bonding and brotherhood among Americans. With all the differences and without a cultural heritage to bind them, what else makes them bond together and be proud of their country?
And India with her history of over 2000 years and a culture that stands the test of time is not given due respects that she deserves from her people.
What is the reason behind these ironies in America and India?
Perhaps the cultural heritage and historical achievements are no longer a bonding factor for the present generation. So when i try to think of what could possibly be the bonding factor for the present generation, I'm not exactly sure of the answer. However, it makes me guess that a crisis of somekind influenced by an external entity, may be a war, could bind the people together. God forbid such a thing happens, but seeing America which goes for war once in 25 years, it compels me to think so. The present generation of India has never faced such a crisis and I feel we are taking too much for granted of our freedom. On the contrary, I see Americans having their flags in workspaces, in cars, in front of homes, in shopping malls etc. Not that I say displaying one's national flag alone is patriotism. I can never recount an instance where an American cribbed about something that is American, which is quite opposite of our Indian nature.
Patriotism is not just supporting India in sports. Its more than that. The feeling that it is our country, we made the laws and hence we should adhere to the laws, is what would be the minimum criterion for being patriotic. There should be compulasary military service for youngsters to achieve this kind of a feeling.
I sincerely hope I'm proved wrong and Indians are indeed patriotic without an external bonding factor like a war. Jai Hind.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
6 comments:
you are probably right about the war thing. But, i believe that we don't need a war to unite people. Although it'll unite people within a nation, it'll alienate from the rest of the world.
there is no denying that we have a lot to learn from the Americans about patriotism. if only we start following things like punctuality, courtesy, patriotism, work ethics from them instead of music, fashion, language, etc., we could have developed a lot faster as a nation.
but, rain or shine, India is the best :) Jai Hind!
and welcome to the blog world!!
Hey Jagan, though I'm patriotic I dont say India is the best. Coz its not true. But this doesnt prevent me from loving India more than anyother country. The thing is people settle for mediocre in India. Indians need to realize that we are not the best and need to work on becoming the best.
yes, i agree. when i said best, i meant it in a similar way. i like to start something assuming that it's good and then start working on it to improve it. That keeps me motivated. if i start something thinking that it's not good, it's not gonna help anybody. i'll defend my country tooth and nail being fully aware that there are flaws and work towards its betterment.
Unity comes when there is a feeling of trust and respect. A feeling of equality. A feeling of shared vision. But to see how far we are from it, lets analyse what are we now. As Kahlil gibran would put it, one man's spirit like a candle, could light the world....but honestly speaking we Indians can disprove it hands down. But what makes us (Indians, not India) function so poorly as a society...when we function so supremely in the international setup as individuals?
Guys, what Indians lack is self respect..which has contributed immensly to pull ourselves down to abbysmal levels as a society. When you dont stand up to defend your ideology and thought, what good have you done to the society around ? after all society is a bunch of people like you.
They day we find the solution to respect ones' own desires and back it up with hard work we become better people. In the process we learn and understand what it took for the other person to succeed. This instills respect. This is a first step to see a world of equality, respect, trust and confidence that would take this country to the next level.Now equality is not a relative measure of wealth, but relative measure of drive and passion..., to attempt, to succeed in course of betterment.
But there is one consolation...the present generation has atleast put themselves(we included) on the track towards a shared vision...the driving factor to build trust, equality, wealth, peace, chance to give back to the society (patriotism- as the world refers).
Well Kaushik, thats a different way to look at things....But still I would say to become a dveloped nation is a long long way to go and might not be possible in our generation.
Gurajada Apparao http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gurajada_Apparao
said " Desamante Matti kadoye, Desamante Manushuloye"
a close translation is.. a nation is not the land , it is the people.
India is as much a cauldron of migration as is America.
I agree that India is less developed than America or many of the western nations in some respects, but that is mainly due to a system that is stretched beyond its design. e.g: during most of my early college life, i always got free medical services, the govt hospitals, at least those attached to universities employ the best doctors in India. its a pity that rich people don't use them, because that would surely induce them to fund and demand increased levels of service. unequal participation in shared resources, both in using and building them is what causes problems. its the same story here too. if you don't believe me go to a ghetto.
Post a Comment