26th January,1950 was the day India became a republic.
Well, much like other Indian children, Republic Day for me was all about participating in flag hoisting, singing of patriotic songs, national anthem, cultural programs and yes, watching the parade from Rajpath and around the Red Fort in New Delhi and the president's address to the nation on national TV.Those are the memories.
It was a ritual of sorts. I agree that in the past few years, the ritual kind of died out, thanks to way I like many others got caught up with the various struggles of my life. Republic Day became more like a national holiday, a day to rest after hectic schedules and weeks of work. Well, nothing to be happy about. That shouldn't have been the case.
As an educated and wise adult it's so much important to get serious now. Yes, even more than before. Thankfully I understand all that better now. Though I'm miles away from the country of my birth, I'm doing the needful in my small way now. Better late then never.
I must have said in my earlier posts that for a couple years, I got so caught up with the entertainment journalism work that I could hardly write or talk about anything more substantial.My professional life centered around all that. And as I said, there was more frivolousness than the serious, substantial stuff to do in that world.
But I'm grateful I've more time and energy to concentrate on things that matter.
As children in India most of us were taught to idolize Gandhi, Bose, Bhagat Singh, Chandra Shekhar Azad and the patriots who formed the nation. And we read about them in text books and during my History major days quite a bit.It's because of their sacrifices that the country became independent, that the citizens could be part of an Indian nation.They deserve all the respect of the world.
Today the ones I'm remembering are the heroes of modern history, and are from my time-the 90s onwards who are not fighting foreign rulers but the enemy within and around the country. They are fighting insurgency and threats from enemy nations.
An old Indian saying was used to give utmost respect to soldiers and farmers(
Jai Kissan, Jai Jawan) all the time. It was believed that they contribute a lot towards the development and safety of a country and there's so much truth in it.
And like many conscious citizens, I never had high hopes or much faith on the politicians of the country or the system( sounds cliche though) as a whole! A country where nepotism, corruption and groupism is so rampant, a country where only a few selected people,a lucky few seem to flourish.
My simple prayer today is that these heroes will not be unsung heroes.They were simple men who accomplished extra ordinary tasks.
War is something which causes unnecessary loss of life and is detested by all the peaceful people of the world. Wars should be avoided as much as possible. But sometimes war become necessary to maintain peace which is so very difficult to maintain, thanks to the fact that so many people believe in violence and injustice.That's why one needs to spare a thought for the young soldiers who work for national pride and honor(of any country, why only India!)as well as safeguarding civilians.
Martyrs will be part of modern history books but it shouldn't end there...
"It is the cause, not the death that makes the martyr." -Napoleon Bonaparte, the Emperor of France ,
"When You Go Home, Tell Them Of Us And Say, For Their Tomorrow, We Gave Our Today"- Maxwell Edmond
To every man upon this earth Death cometh soon or late. And how can man die better Than facing fearful odds, For the ashes of his fathers, And the temples of his God...-Lord Macaulay in his poem Horatius.
They were Indian heroes who went down fighting like lions- Captain Vikram Batra(Param Vir Chakra),Captain Anuj Nayyar(Mahavir Chakra),Lieutenant Manoj Kumar Pandey(Param Vir Chakra), Captain Haneef Uddin (Vir Chakra), Captain Vijayant Thapar,(Vir Chakra), the martyr from my North East Indian state Captain Jintu Gogoi(Vir Chakra) whose fiancee I still remember was inconsolable for a long, long time as well as other Kargil and all war heroes.
http://ikashmir.net/kargilheroes/index.html
Heroes are Major Sandeep Unnikrishnan(Ashok Chakra),Havaldar Gajendra Singh(Ashok Chakra),Shahid ASI Tukaram Ombale (Ashok Chakra) who like a lion caught the lone surviving terrorist of the Mumbai attack at the cost of his life, and all other Mumbai terror attack martyrs.
I am saluting them all on the occasion of Indian Republic day. They got their gallantry awards, many posthumously on a 26th January and on 15th August(Indian Independence day) but the memory should be there forever, and not only on one 26th January or 15th August of a certain year. It's sad to see how a few just like their families feel that these real heroes of the country are not given enough credit.
The majority of the Indian population is too caught up with their own lives. Some try to occupy themselves with the lives of the celebs from the fields of movies, sports business, glamor et al. Perhaps because getting caught up in a world of dreams is like opium, an intoxication for many, a way to escape the harsh realities of life. I see it so much around me.
Most of my simple little efforts to arouse a little consciousness about martyrs and issues of this sort in the educated class, even some from media have been ignored. Some don't wish to remember 26/11 properly even though it happened just some time ago, right there in the city they were living. They have no time for other social issues too. The uneducated ones don't pay attention either. They are too caught up with survival and yes, so maybe opt for the opium happily.
By the grace of God, I've met only a few, that too after a lot of search and research who involve themselves in noble efforts and try to better the same.
But so many people simply don't care that it looks like a case of a few against many.
I remember as a school girl back in 1999, I wanted to donate everything from my piggy bank kinda savings, little money I had made by writing articles in a local newspaper to one of the soldiers' funds.
Well, I always had a heart even as a very young girl,it was just that I couldn't do enough for a while being so much involved with the various issues in my life. I still feel a sense of guilt over the same.
I agree what a small entity does is nothing more than a drop in the vast ocean. But it's a start. And it's good even when one person stands for a cause.
India is a developing country and many have contributed towards its growth.We are all entitled and have the right to enjoy life, take care of ourselves and entertain ourselves.
But let not only a handful remember the real heroes and the ideals they stood for when many more should have done the same...
Let not only the families bear the brunt of the loss throughout their lives which is sadly usually the case.
The media is called the fourth estate because it has the power of influence. It's nice if some true journos can make at least a few of the citizens of the world conscious.It's not easy to do as the majority don't or can't care. But then, one can at least give it a shot.
The Indian movie industry has made a few movies on patriotism and one of them was 'Rang De Basanti'(Color it Saffron- the color that signifies sacrifice) based on the lives of patriots from the Indian independence struggle- Bhagat Singh, Sukhdev, Chandra Shekhar Azad, Ashfaqullah Khan, Ramprasad Bismil and the connection with the lives of modern youngsters living in a contemporary post independence India full of dirty politics and corruption.
It's another story that a majority of the audience like to see mindless song, dance and commercial
masala in movies. Some make patriotic movies only to get good box office results.
Thankfully there are a few intelligent viewers and film makers who rise above all that.It's nice to see a few of the actors(like the ones in the song) display intelligence and compassion in reel and real life. This song's like a conversation between a martyr's mother and her lost son.
We get to know a lot about soldiers and patriots through international cinema as well. Movies such as 'All quiet on the western front', 'From Here to Eternity', 'Platoon', 'Born on the 4th of July', 'The Deer Hunter','Saving Private Ryan', The Thin Red Line' and many more celebrate the soldier's valor.
This song from LOC Kargil( the movie talked about a serious topic but couldn't do much justice though) is something dedicated to the lost/ other comrade.
Here's a video tribute to young Kargil Hero Vikram Batra. He was only 24 years old in 1999. Sometimes I wonder how these youngsters( from any country, not just India) gather the courage, the will to do what they do with so much happiness, how they put the country,the country men ahead of their precious lives and their families.They are beautiful souls indeed...
Let's salute the 26/11 heroes yet again.They are the ones who saved a city of 19-20 million people that fateful day. No amount of remembrance for them is enough.
Let's not forget them just because they are/were simple people, men next door, and don't have glamor to transport people to a world of dreams. Just because they don't thrive on publicity and are real people from the real world.
Here are some videos from a lovely TV show that the channel CNN IBN made a while back called 'Does India really remember its martyrs'? There are interviews of the parents of Anuj Nayyar(only 23 in 1999). His father is still grieving, appalled and disgruntled over the apathy, unkindness and lack of concern displayed by politicians and government officials.
Also the families of Vikram Batra,Captain Haneef Uddin, Captain Vijayant Thapar(22 only in 1999)have shared their memories. What better day to have a recap than on Indian Republic day?
The families of Mumbai heroes are still grieving. It was not just another day in their lives. Good and compassionate citizens need to take out a little time and hope that some more people will grieve with them...
That's the least we can do...
I quite agree with Major's father that "the world changed only for them, the family and India went back to normal in a few days." I so wish people of the country would value the sacrifice of the precious life of a young son much more and not make it look like a personal loss of a family which is unfortunately the case.
Apathy is rampant. Someone with a sarcastic sense of humor had quoted below a youtube video about how a video that has vulgar, improper or frivolous content gets much more views by people than the videos for patriots and martyrs!
Major Sandeep Unnikrishan, who I tend to remember most of the time would always be my Mumbai hero. He was a very humane person who donated much of his salary towards charity and various causes. When I look at his parents, I feel a lot of sadness. His father rightly said, "By being alive for some more years he could have done so much more for India and people." I was in Mumbai that terrible day as a silent, weak spectator and the pangs of guilt for not being able to anything substantial will be there for a long, long time.
Babetude would like to thank youtube and all the lovely people who contributed towards the making of these wonderful videos. It was a pleasure to put some together here. As an Indian,who stays away from her country but keep her values and traditions very much intact,it was an honor.
Jai Hind.As we sign off, here's a scene from the critically acclaimed 'Rang De Basanti'(it was released on 26th Jan, 5 years ago)which has an interesting debate and a message conveyed in a humorous and entertaining way to the youth of India...
He will always be regarded as one of the greats to walk this world.
