August 15, 2007-Sixty Years of Independence

When I drafted the first copy of this post, it was 12:45 A.M. on August 15, 2007; and I was in office, with a ten minute break from work. First things first, wishing everyone-"Happy Independence Day."

I am happy and proud to be an Indian, but the things happening in the country bring in more sadness than joy. The nuclear agreement with the United States of America is causing lot of heartburn, everyday the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha witnesses chaos and pandemonium, ending in adjournment of both the houses. Is it for this tamasha that the hard-earned money of the tax-payers goes in making the fat salaries of the MPs. My question is if this agreement would have been signed when the BJP was in power, would the Congress accept it?

The kidnapping and murder of sixteen year old Adnan in Mumbai by his friends, has once again brought into fray the role that social networking sites like Orkut play; and how the youth of today are degenerating with gross disregard for moral values. Drinking, smoking, indulging in sex, addiction to drugs, the list is endless. Have we reached the point of no return?

The BPO culture of today with its easy money, work hard and party hard culture, zero-balance salary accounts has a role to play in this degeneration. There has been a substantial increase in the availability of jobs and the average income of the middle-class family, but we are a paying a price. Night shifts, increasing number of divorces, children not cared for, alcoholism, substance abuse, once again the list is seemingly endless.

I saw something that really made me sad and made me stop and think for a while. I was walking on the road on a Friday evening about 7:30 PM, there were a line of roadside eateries during steady business, selling parottas, omelettes, and fried chicken. There was a big garbage bin one corner of the road where the used banana leaves and paper plates were dumped. I saw a man, a begaar dressed in rags, rummaging for food in the garbage bin. The man was weak and impoverished and looked as if he would fall down. In the same garbage bin was a stray dog also rummaging for food, in comparison to the beggar the dog was well-fed and looked strong. The dog was growling at the beggar and it appeared that it would bite him. The beggar found some leftovers, put them in a plastic bag and walked away.

Even after sixty years of independence a country which calls itself a farmer's nation is not able to feed its citizens. Whose fault is it, is it the individual, the government, or the policy makers; it is a question that remains unanswered. Thousands have died in West Bengal, Bihar, and other parts of the country because of floods. Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, and Karnataka have witnessed a lot of suicides by farmers.

The propsed Tata small-car plant at Singur in West Bengal, has caused bloodshed from day one. The titanium di-oxide plant at Sattanukulam in Tamil Nadu has again caused problems. Where do we go from here? What kind of a country are we going to leave for our children? Are we going to offer them a better tomorrow or a living hell?

Think and reply, please post your comments.

Cheers.