I Pledge

To not wait only for Independence day & republic day to celebrate my Indianess.

To do my bit for a green India.

To follow right to information.

To promote overall education.

To be a conscious & aware citizen.

To show my respect in actions.

To not support corruption.

To apply, 'Be Indian-Buy Indian' policy as much as possible.

To be a better Indian.

What pledge did you take?

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Proud to be an Indian?

On the eve of our 63rd independence day, when I see people flaunting t-shirts & badges of "Proud to be an Indian", I wonder if I would ever use that phrase.

I am certainly patriotic- very.. & I'll say I'm very blessed & glad to be born an Indian. But 'Proud to be Indian'? NAH. I can't claim that.

Proud is a word I would use if I have done something which brings me a sense of fulfilment, where I would want to be credited for
or something which is mine & I derive pride from.
Talking of my first point, I can say I am proud, as I DO do my bit in most small ways to make my country a better one.
But that contribution does not count much...as I am not a public personality that people see & follow. So its my own sense of responsibility I follow.
In regards to the second point, I can Most definitely say that I am not proud to be an Indian.

How can I be proud when the most vital things that represent a nation are disheartening in my country? I did not even have to spend any thinking time over this blogpost...as I usually do.
These noted elements are all over the place.

• Corruption: 60+ years...& we are STILL grappling with corruption. In every sector, in EVERY damn place, corruption is deep seated here. As I am writing this, I cannot help to mention the latest Common Wealth Games scam. HOW long does India need to battle this?? When will we have a day when our politicians stop thinking, "My money is mine & your money is also mine?!?"
• Disrespect for women: This country has loads of goddesses. I mean literally. Visit any part of the country & you will see different avatars of goddesses local to that region. & they are worshipped with fervour too. No discounts there. But look around & you will see less than the least minimal percent of respect, in actual, given to women. Disrespect, rape, assault, abuse of women is as much as a part of the elite as it is of the down trodden.
• Respect for people: Value of people is increasingly declining & only names are getting respected. People don't get respected for their individuality but for their social positioning. India was surely not like this.
• Non tolerance: Since independence, as a nation we have become the most non tolerant for any kind of issues which takes just a flicker & the country gets burning. Did independence do that to us? Weren't we together earlier?
• Accountability: What should naturally be taken care of, has to be either thrashed out from the government or drummed in at regular intervals for making them accountable. The easiest & oft used method of pushing-the-cart demonstrates the nature of out governance very well. The blame game is just not done!!!
• Punctuality: Visit any government office on the time it IS supposed to start working & you will most surely not find more than half the staff there. What is it going to take to make these people self liable? How is their mindset made??
• Education: Education does not ONLY mean a degree & a means to get a paycheque! Education means being aware of things around you & act! Education means the knowledge of sharing your true self. I wonder if it is taken like that anymore. We are so comfortable in ignoring things that do not help us personally, that the state of the country just gets worse.

These are only a few things which, when I think make me feel depressed over the state of the nation. Yet I very well know, it all comes from us. When each of us gets individually responsible, we can collectively bring about the change.

Easier said than done, but Yes, I trust it.

Being a believer in faith, I fervently pray, wish & hope that India does rise over these tsunamic ordeals...maybe very very slowly, yet surely & truly gets nationally on the progressive mode.
& then is when I shall truly feel "Proud to be an Indian."

Happy Independence day to all.

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Its Easy!

People can make your day in so many ways if you allow them. Its wonderful.

You don't have to do anything. You just let yourself BE.

I had such a week & I'm so grateful to the nice people who make my day with the smallest of things...& those small things bring big smiles to me throughout; when ever I remember it.

Today while I was getting off my cab, the cab driver tells me " Madam I was so happy when I knew that I was dropping you today."

I was surprised coz I had not seen this guy earlier.. & the way he was driving, I thought he was a new guy in town.

So, I asked him, "aacha, aisa kyun? aap mujhe pehle drop karne aaye hai? ['Why so? have you come to drop me earlier?'] & I got wondering if I had interacted with this guy anytime earlier.

He replies, " No Madam, I have see you in the cafeteria at lunch times."

Strange I thought. For a cab driver to hang around in the office cafeteria... Anyways, I kept quiet & just smiled. There was ofcourse more to come.

Then he said, " tum hamesha sabse baat karte..hanste rehte, mereko bohot aacha lagta" [You talk to everybody & keep a smile whenever I've seen you & I like that a lot." [translated from his broken Hindi]

Honestly, for a moment, I was blank. I mean what else would I react!

Then switching to English he concluded, " I keep seeing you many times, So I was very happy to drop you today."
That was a sure surprise from nowhere. I smiled at him, said thanks & got off the cab.

It juts made me think, that though not consciously, I had brought a smile to someone & someone was made happy by me.

& how much did I make an effort for that? - Nothing.

It really does not take much from us to do good actually; just being happy from your end brings about a change not only to you...but to others too.

A similar thing happened earlier in the week. I'd been to a restaurant with a friend, in regards to some work. We spent quite some time there. After we got done with our work in between snacks, at the end, the waiter gets us ice cream. When we enquired why he got it, he replied it was a compliment..on the house.

Now I have no clue as to why we were complimented that ice cream, we certainly spoke a lot to the waiter [comparatively] & a couple of other staff, as we were there for quite a while...but that didn't have to warranty any such treats!
It was a sweet gesture that made me believe there are so many ways by which your day is made, if you care to observe.

It does not matter if the person if someone important to you or no... its as simple, you get happy if you make someone's day... & it works vice versa too! :)

I'll end by quoting a quote apt for this post. " If you see someone without a smile, give him one of yours." Its pretty easy! Isin't it?

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Monsoons

If there is a season that invigorates me, it has to be the Monsoons!

The breeze, the air, the atmosphere!

Awesome!!!

Everything seems to be alive then. The trees have fresh leaves grown on them, the birds & bees also come together.. it feels like you can actually hear the breathing of the season.

The wind dancing on the trees, the showers quenching the depleted Earth... Ah! A sight to behold!

Unlike Summer when its too hot & humid, Unlike winters when its too dry & brittle,
Monsoons bring just the right amount of Sun, coolness, moisture & life in it.

My heart erupts on a sing-a-song everytime I see the scrubbed look of the city's landscapes & lush greens.

& I can never get enough of the fragrance of the wet Earth, fresh grass & the vivifying air to breathe in...

Its also the time my soul goes for a proper rinse..rather scrub [:P] regularly, gets washed everytime it rains & I can't help seeing the world & myself in it a lil more clearer each time.

Among all this, I agree, there is one glitch which is hard to ignore. The terrible conditions of the roads.. But it no way comes under Nature's fault. Does it?

Hmm... after all this descriptive defining, did I actually mention that I love the monsoons?

Do I need to??

;)

Happy Monsoons to all!

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