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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Tête-à-Tête

Quite a few times in my Tete-a-tete with God, I keep telling him,

Not all the experiences that he keeps giving me are needed.

I AM a better person without them too.

Those experiences only tend to take me down as a person rather than improve me.
But God just doesn't seem to listen!!

What to do?!?!?

Do you believe that all the experiences we go through throughout life, are needed?

Share it with me.

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Unexpected Conversations

Love can be expressed in such various emotions, It never ever ceases to surprise me.

On my way back home from work today, a colleague happened to mention something about guests coming over at his place & how he wished he had been home.

Then after a pause of a few minutes, he started how glad he was that his wife was there to take care of everything. He went on to add that how his wife did everything with such warmth & not becoz she has to.

In acknowledgement, I didn't feel like interrupting this heartful chat he was on upon then.. only added that he was a lucky person.

His immediate reply turning full 90 degrees me WITH the seatbelt, & saying "Yes, I am a very lucky person "; gave me such a smug feeling, that my appreciation for this guy was suddenly born.

Suddenly born becoz, he was always a colleague with whom I shared a cab. A sparingly English speaking..or rather a pure Telugu speaking guy, we hardly interacted much on our way.

But when he said, "Indeed I am very lucky. She takes care of everything..right from my tiffin box to the kids homework to this pressed shirt [pointing at his shirt] that I wear daily at work. I don't have to worry for anything happening at home."

I was really glad. I'd never thought about him... but if I would've been asked to, I would never have imagined him talking thus. He being from a lil orthodox background & roots deep in rural Andhra.

So while I was hearing him, I thought to myself as well, "its such a contented feeling to be loved such by your partner. Lucky are those people who get so appreciated & valued in a relation." He didn't mention what all she was doing... he actually mentioned what he was not doing.

He then added, "Right from taking care the impromptu guests which keep pouring in his home, to taking care of the children while they are ill, she handles every other need which suddenly comes up.. she is a very patient person."

He took me down his memory lane by telling me how he'd never even seen her till the day of the wedding.. how he'd not known anything about her & how his wife who hailed from a village, still settled in well, within his family & took such good care of them.

I think more than being with the guests he missed his wife then, & what he spoke was out of a deep care for her.
Listening to him was such a pleasant thing, that got me like, 'Lucky She!! '

But what I mostly felt was, If I'm to find a guy like this, I'd count myself damned lucky!

At the end of the day, dosen't matter if you speak a smatter of fluent English or speak the language modestly. Its how you convey that's important.

It even doesn't matter if you wear the best of clothes & have the best of appreciations from colleagues...

At the end of the day if you return home to someone who cares for you as much as you'd wish S/He to,

Life's Blissed.

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Faith & Hope

Increased visits to the temples...
Often helping the needy,
Few times resorting to the various future predictors to get a solution..
& at all times following all the superstitions which we trust to bring good luck & blessings... defying our own rules against them in the bargain;
When life seems to be at the crossroads, the soul in every way gets on its knees for blessings, for garnering wishes.
Hoping & wishing that something somewhere may work & someone's blessing may be granted & the wish gets fulfilled.

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