A Little Lunacy!

A long time ago when I was in school, we were invariably asked to write an essay on Independence Day around this time of the year. Being the innocent little boy that I was, unaware of the evils lurking in this world, I used to write all sugary stuff, singing praises of our country, its leaders and the martyrs. But after having lived here for 23 years, the whole idea of an ‘independent, sovereign, secular’ state has gone for a toss. If someone asked me to write about this subject now, what would I come up with? Probably something like this:

What’s all this fuss about the 15th of August? I mean, it’s just another day, right? Umm, not so. Apparently, the folks over here in India would like you to believe otherwise. Now don’t misinterpret my intentions. I’m an Indian myself and I feel I’m entitled to have an opinion about the shenanigans that mark the day which is supposed to be our ‘Independence Day’.

This is the day when every man and his dog go around showing off their ‘patriotism’. Shopkeepers make hay while the sun shines, selling cheap plastic flags by the dozen. Banners with our ‘great’ political leaders come up on busy intersections, trying to take credit for freeing the country from the foreigners’ oppression. TV channels go bonkers and have so-called patriotic movies lined up for the whole day. The Prime Minister (or is it the President? I couldn’t care less.) delivers his traditional speech which only has a few lines changed from the one he delivered last year. One half of the country’s population sits glued to their TV sets, watching the parade on the watch-it-twice-a-year national broadcasting channel. So what we have here is, Indians watching Russian aircrafts on display on a Korean television, sitting on French furniture and conversing among themselves in English. Call it globalisation or call it something else. Your choice.

On a more personal level, I find it pretty amusing how people wait for I-Day to display their patriotism. I mean, if you really love your country why should you need to wait for a specific date in the calendar? It’s a bit like Valentine’s Day really, without the mushy stuff. But unlike V-Day, my inbox gets flooded with I-Day messages from enthusiastic friends who happen to have me on their messaging list. These messages range from the simple ‘Happy Independence Day’ to the for-fucks-sake-get-a-grip-son variety such as ‘our great leaders blah blah blah, mother India blah blah, love the country blah blah and more blah’. The worst are those ‘gems’ of poetry that a few people manage to unearth from some old book or an obscure site on the Web. I got your point, now would you mind laying off Shakespeare for a while? Sheesh.

Now I wouldn’t want to play spoilsport and ruin your I-Day ‘celebrations’, but really, take a look at yourselves. And then take a look around you. These are the same people who are ashamed to call themselves Indians on international forums, the same twunts who find it embarrassing to stand up when the national anthem is played (although this one is, more often than not, a matter of personal choice), the same jokers who would fly away to the US of A and never return, if given an opportunity. So why this facade? Just to blend in with the crowd? If so, then these people should get a life. Or a passport.

As for me, the 15th of August is just another day in the calendar (although it also happens to be the birthday of a very good friend). And unlike this year, it’s another holiday for the overworked and underpaid masses. At the risk of courting controversy, I’d say that Independence Day has lost its charm. There is nothing special about this day and if you feel differently, you really need to wake up and smell the coffee. Loving your country is fine and dandy, but going overboard with sentiment on a specific day of the year is truly absurd. Especially when you’ve done nowt for your beloved nation and you’re gonna do nowt for your beloved nation in the foreseeable future.

So on the 15th of August this year, I woke up when I wanted to. I ate what I wanted to eat and I did what I wanted to do. I went out and wasn’t stopped by anyone for wearing goofy clothes or for looking like a northerner in Chennai. I didn’t buy a flag and I didn’t go to watch any stupid parade. I didn’t play any patriotic songs nor am I going to. I didn’t go and send I-Day messages to all and sundry. And the best part is, I’m writing what I feel right here, without any fear of the cops dragging me away. In short, I lived the way I wanted to live (staying on the right side of the law, of course).

This is independence. And I wouldn’t want it to be any other way.

That pretty much sums up the thoughts of the majority of the Indian youth, methinks. Agree or disagree? Let me know.

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