Are We Really Independent ??

August 15th, 1947. On this auspicious day, we became officially independent from the British rule. We successfully managed to make them go away from our country, but not before many a great leaders sacrificed their lives for the cause.

Was going through my feed on Facebook and Twitter and was pleasantly surprised that most of the DPs were of Indian National Flag or a ‘Happy Independence Day’ and most of them had shared posts about patriotism and the sacrifices made by the freedom fighters of those days that has given us this so-called independence today.

The funniest thing is, We are going to celebrate independence day shortly as we successfully managed to free ourselves from the tyranny of the British rule, in reality, all we managed to do was get rid of the Britishers and we immediately fell under the tyrannical rule of our own politicians.

In fact, those Britishers did us a big favour by ruling us. The whole of India was divided into small kingdoms ruled by different rulers. The British rule forced us to become united and we became India, a united democratic country.

And now, these politicians divide us on the basis of our caste, creed, religion, region, language, race and sex just for a few votes. Just for that power that they get when they get elected. Just to fill their pockets enough so that their 7 generations can live in luxury. Just for their selfish desires

Sometimes, I wonder were we better-off under the British rule.

While they were leaving India, they said that the Indians are fools. They can’t lead their own lives and need someone to lead them, rule them and guide them. And I thought the Britishers were arrogant in this aspect and it was only their ego speaking.

Unfortunately, today we have proved them right.

Of course, we have come a long way and we have seen amazing amounts of development and success, but still, in a way, we are degenerating our own country each day.

We are so hypocritical.

We will be the first ones to be proud and happy that our National Anthem Jana Gana Mana has been selected as the best anthem by the UNO. And we will share it, tweet it, make random groups on FB, send chain-messages on mail and Whatsapp and……and that’s it. We think we’ve done our thing.

And we will be the first one to complain when the same anthem is played before the screening of a movie in cinema halls.

Electricity shortage, govt. isn’t efficient. Water shortage, govt. isn’t efficient. Crimes on women, govt. isn’t efficient. Poverty, govt. isn’t efficient. Human trafficking, govt. isn’t efficient.

We don’t want to do anything. But we want to blame the govt. for all our miseries.

Have we ever donated something for charity? Have we ever done anything for others without expecting any returns? Have we helped NGOs in doing their work?

Let’s not go that far, have we ever stood-up for someone being bullied at school?

As long as it is not happening to us or someone close to us, Chalta hai and if we get in trouble then we blame god, govt., other people, everything other than ourselves.

We will point fingers on a star who hires players from our neighbouring countries in IPL. We will point fingers on a star who performs in a show to raise funds for charity in neighbouring countries. We will ask, “Why didn’t he do anything for Uttarakhand?” and we will call him a traitor and make him our enemy.

Before investing so much energy in tarnishing someone’s image, why don’t we wait a moment and ask ourselves, “What have we done?”

When it comes to us to do our bit, we come up with excuses like, “I have a family to look after. I have a business to cater to.” or “What’s the guarantee that the money we donate will be actually used for the relief works?”

If we are so worried about a few thousands that we are going to donate, then, we have no rights whatsoever to question someone else!

Movies and Novels are intellectual properties of a few creative people. We call India a democratic country and proudly profess that, “Every Indian has a Right to Speak.”

Then, we ban them because they hurt religious sentiments of some groups.

You can piss in public, but you can’t kiss.

You can sell Tobacco and Alchohol, but you can’t consume them in public.

You can be arrested for posting seductively on a poster.

You can be arrested for a status update but you won’t ever get arrested for forgeries and scams worth millions of rupees.

People in power spend millions everyday and say that you aren’t poor if you spend more than Rs 36 in a day. You can have a day’s meal in Rs 12 in Mumbai, they say.

You can get arrested if you dump your girl and she commits suicide. But you can get away on a bail if you have committed a heinous crime against a woman in broad day-light.

If you are wearing jeans, if you drink, if you stay out late into the night with friends to party, then you are inviting people to commit crimes against you.

You won’t be provided a safer place for all the taxes you pay, but you are advised not to venture out for your safety.

There is a bloody rule for everything that we are supposed to do. From what you eat to drink to breathe to wear to talk to post to think.

And these rules are made by those hooligans who have criminal cases registered against them.

One can go on and on about the atrocities one faces in this country. About the problems, about the crimes, about the social condition of the country, about the attitude of the people, about the thinking and about the changes needed.