For many years people often ask me and even mock sometimes (not that it affects me) about why I love India. There are so many problems. I love my country simply because I belong here and so should everyone. You don’t curse your home just because it has flaws. Loving your nation does not in any way mean you are indifferent to all the issues people around you face. It means you are even more responsible than others.
I still see rickshaw pullers or street vendors with an Indian flag. Even after having a laborious and burdensome lifestyle, they do feel proud to be Indian. And we, who have a pretty decent lifestyle; after all our entertainments and leisure time, when we come home and lie back on our couches, we find it so easy to say — nothing good can ever happen here. So many people are cursing their nation again, just for the sake of a few laughs, grins and amusement. How can we ever prosper?
74 years ago, Hindu-Muslim riots happened, and eventually, a part of Hindustan was amputated to make Pakistan. Today we are living in 2020 and riots are still a part of our lives. Who is responsible for these riots? Some people among us. India is one of the top five countries when it comes to the number of rape crimes. Who is doing these rape? Some people amongst us. And meanwhile, we continue to have our pastime by making those comments about India’s gloomy future.
Have we made a single effort from our end to avoid these riots? Have we taught our children the meaning of secularism? Have we told them that they are Indians first? Have we taught our boys (instead of girls) how to behave with women? Why should they respect them?
Are we working towards an atmosphere that promotes an equal lifestyle for men and women in a family? Do we extend our hands, equally, to a Muslim, Hindu, Sikh or Christian when they visit our homes? Are we able to see people as Indians rather than Dalits, Brahmans, Shudras, Khatris, etc.? No, because it is the job of the system or the administration to ensure equality — which is terribly goofed up. Okay then, have we tried to help those who are suffering due to this corrupt system? Are we trying to make things easier for our “country-mates”?
So next time before you put together all your wisdom to predict or curse India, for once, ask yourself what have you done for this country. Our country has seen several different phases before and after independence. If there is something that needs amendment, it is “us”. We are still at the verge of losing our secularism. We still hear about a rape case every other day. The problem lies within us.
A nation is first a geographical identity, a culture, a history, a way of living — and people need to love it, embrace it and preserve it. I love my homeland because I was born here. I am attached to its language, culture and food. I love it because I should and so should everyone. A nation can prosper only when citizens cherish their nationality because it is essential to love your nation and stand by it through thick and thin.