Yes, we are like this

One more festival is over with lot of sound and fury. Deepavali is considered a festival of lights, but it seems a festival of noise (crackers). It is a nice festival with a great concept of light over darkness or victory of the good against the evil. But we, Indians love noise too much and burst crackers on each festival and each victory. I am not able to understand the psychology behind bursting crackers. If I express my anxiety to fellow Indians, many would n’t take that seriously. Because we are all used to noise and if there is silence, we will ask why? I remember how my relatives and friends surprised about my silent nature as a child. They always bothered me with a question, ‘why you don’t speak?’ Speak what? I never understood what they were asking and what I was supposed to speak. Now I know that we just want everybody to open their mouth and utter any nonsense.
Yes we are Indians, we love noise and we are waiting for any opportunity to make more noise :-)

Where is the mind without fear?

I was shocked to see the picture of Joel Elliot, a US journalist the other day. His bruised face shows the dark side of our police force. According to his statement that is sent to IB and external Ministry, he was beaten up brutally by Delhi police for trying to prevent four police men beating up a man in the dark. Police version of the story(which I doubt for sure) is that Joel was trying to steal a cab in a drunken state and was behaving violently. Even though it is true, how can they treat somebody like this? If this is the treatment towards a US journalist, what would be a lay man’s chance for justice? I have seen immense of time how people who live in the margins of society are beaten up by police for petty issues. Once in Karol Bagh(Delhi), I witnessed police slapping rikshaw-pullers who encroached into the restricted area to fetch passengers. The riksha-pullers withdrew from the spot believing they deserve it !

Our basic problem in India is that most of us are either unaware of laws or afraid of authorities. We have been taught not to question parents and teachers as they are the first authorities while growing up. Since childhood we are conditioned to live in a way designed by parents and society. Later we are obliged to obey other forms of authorities as power and money. So naturally we end up as passive people who hardly raise voice against injustice. Here police represents the unquestionable authority to take law into their hands with the virtue of their uniform. Indians hardly question the police as Joel did. The ingrained fear of public coupled with a passive attitude make police force as well other authorities behave like our masters. Our education too doesn’t encourage free thought, let alone question the injustice.

We are all mortal humans having our bad sides as well. So it is unwise to think some are above vices and beyond questioning. Our police force has to be more humane, because they are here to safe guard common people, not to harrasse them. Above all our education must be to enlighten the students with wisdom and knowledge. Only true knowledge opens the way for a mind that transcends fear.

No room for Humour

Are we a nation of humourless people? Or our politicians are just humourless hypocrats?This question popped up in my mind while reading the controversy over external affairs minister of state Shashi Tharoor’s comment on twitter. He tweeted that he would travel in cattle class to sympathise with the holy cows concerning the austerity gestures of govt. But politicians made a big issue out of this harmless joke.
The reaction of politicians shows their hypocrisy and how they take themselves so seriously. Besides our politicians definitely lack wisdom and maturity so that they make issue out of nothing. Shashi Tharoor is probably an odd man there, but I feel we are desperately in need of a wise and mature politician like him. Atleast Prime Minister Manmohan Singh is wise enough to see the humour in it. It would be better if politicians concentrate on good governance rather than waste time on mean things. Please, let us grow up.

Racism is in our mind

In the wake of recent attack on Indians in Australia, people back home cry about Racism. Are we really not racist to point finger at others? Here light skinned Indians look down upon black Indians, rich look down upon the poor. It is a fact that Indians like many Asians are so obsessed with white skin. India is good market for fairness cream and if you glanze through the matrimonial classifieds in newspapers, you would surprise to see the love for fair skin. Racism is a universal evil and no country is perfect in this regard.

It is in our nature to portray all the attacks or remarks as racist. We still shoulder the colonial baggage of inferiority complex. Probably this attacks does have nothing to do with the skin colour of Indians. Criminal elements are there everywhere. Envy, greed and blind nationalism or regionalism is present in other places as well. We have seen the attacks in Mumbai against poor north Indians though nobody was ‘shocked’ then. Those north Indians have gone to Mumbai as they don’t have any other option. But those students in Australia is there by paying a huge fees often for a fake certificate. Yet political parties took their cause and protested. But no one was their for those poor north Indians.
Besides Indian must learn to behave in a civilized society. Most of the time we are the most noisy and undisciplined people on the planet. We are famous for littering and flaunting wealth in public. We must be more open to other cultures and societies. Our medias too sensationalise this news and add racist tone to every attacks.
So it is better to make our home livable and better, before pointing finger at other countries.