TakingITGlobal - Panorama - Patriotism -an...

Published on: Jun 8, 2004

Topic:

Type: Opinions

https://www.tigweb.org/express/panorama/article.html?ContentID=3677

‘India Shining’, this is the current impulse of our country. But this illumination still is unable to play the role of a torchbearer in the saturnine lives of impoverished. That is the extent of opacity existing in the lives of Indians. This situation has set, a burning rancour, up in me and in course of time has become exigent for an answer. In these circumstances, my musings were completely detracted and preoccupied by the speech of one of my friends. He argued that he was very much annoyed that our national song and national anthem have not been revered, as they deserve. He also mentioned that this proved catastrophic to his patriotic fervour. Once, I heard this argument, I decided to speculate on the topic. At that moment, a new question aroused in my mind-“What is patriotism?”

I, half-heartedly, agree with the argument of my friend because it is the duty and minimum courtesy of one and all to respect our culture, national heritage and the contribution of our national leaders in the emancipation of our country. But has it all to be done? If at all one feels that saluting a coloured cloth, paying attention to a one-minute song and reacting in instances of traducement of our national identities itself shows our patriotic zeal towards our country, then revere to a country is nothing but intuitive interpretations sent by the brain. We ought to delineate the thin red line between Patriotism and Jingoism, so let us just observe the ways in which we show our patriotism.

We show our patriotism in queer ways. We worship our cricketers as if they are supernatural and once they bag a win for our country; we place them right on the top. On the flip side, if they lose, we start vituperating them saying that they have deflagrated our national prestige. How does a hapless bunch of mortal cricketers represent an entire nation and its prestige? What difference does it bring in the lives of tatterdemalions on the pavements and GDP foreign exchange of our country, if India loses against the Pakistanis?

Secondly, we all find it really tantalizing to comment upon the management of our government or authority. We say that the roads are full of faeces, there is garbage everywhere, the prices are in a hike, law and order is inchoate and what not? But what lacks in us is mere introspection. We don’t pay our taxes, we spit on the roads that we would not dare to do in our houses and the most preposterous of them all is we keep busy ourselves busy, obliterating one another atrociously in the name of religion. How many of us would accept that the garbage upon which he has commented has his contribution too? How many would realise that the roads are filled with faecal matter due to the pressure felt in the bowels of dogs of so-called civilised people? Then, how could one blame the authority and the politicians? We also forget the fact that this country is democratic and each person entering the secretariat is elected by our vote. So “we reap what we sow” and we ought to face the consequences of our own deeds.

Now “What is patriotism?” .How do you define patriotism? The above indubitable paragraph itself bears the answer “PATRIOTISM IS REALISATION”. It is the realisation that unifies this entire country as one home and this entire mankind as one family. It lies in the allegiance one pays in his work, in treating the fellow countrymen with love and compassion but not in killing one another abominably in the vehemence of religion. People generally feign as if they are oblivious of the above facts but still facts are facts forever. This is not a discussion aimed in vandalising the vitreous personal feelings of people but is just a comprehensive attempt of freeing from the minds of the people, the clouds of perplexity. But the irony is that “it is easier to preach rather to practise”.

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by dandala nirmal kumar reddy
Published on: Jun 8, 2004
Topic:
Type: Opinions
https://www.tigweb.org/express/panorama/article.html?ContentID=3677


‘India Shining’, this is the current impulse of our country. But this illumination still is unable to play the role of a torchbearer in the saturnine lives of impoverished. That is the extent of opacity existing in the lives of Indians. This situation has set, a burning rancour, up in me and in course of time has become exigent for an answer. In these circumstances, my musings were completely detracted and preoccupied by the speech of one of my friends. He argued that he was very much annoyed that our national song and national anthem have not been revered, as they deserve. He also mentioned that this proved catastrophic to his patriotic fervour. Once, I heard this argument, I decided to speculate on the topic. At that moment, a new question aroused in my mind-“What is patriotism?” I, half-heartedly, agree with the argument of my friend because it is the duty and minimum courtesy of one and all to respect our culture, national heritage and the contribution of our national leaders in the emancipation of our country. But has it all to be done? If at all one feels that saluting a coloured cloth, paying attention to a one-minute song and reacting in instances of traducement of our national identities itself shows our patriotic zeal towards our country, then revere to a country is nothing but intuitive interpretations sent by the brain. We ought to delineate the thin red line between Patriotism and Jingoism, so let us just observe the ways in which we show our patriotism. We show our patriotism in queer ways. We worship our cricketers as if they are supernatural and once they bag a win for our country; we place them right on the top. On the flip side, if they lose, we start vituperating them saying that they have deflagrated our national prestige. How does a hapless bunch of mortal cricketers represent an entire nation and its prestige? What difference does it bring in the lives of tatterdemalions on the pavements and GDP foreign exchange of our country, if India loses against the Pakistanis? Secondly, we all find it really tantalizing to comment upon the management of our government or authority. We say that the roads are full of faeces, there is garbage everywhere, the prices are in a hike, law and order is inchoate and what not? But what lacks in us is mere introspection. We don’t pay our taxes, we spit on the roads that we would not dare to do in our houses and the most preposterous of them all is we keep busy ourselves busy, obliterating one another atrociously in the name of religion. How many of us would accept that the garbage upon which he has commented has his contribution too? How many would realise that the roads are filled with faecal matter due to the pressure felt in the bowels of dogs of so-called civilised people? Then, how could one blame the authority and the politicians? We also forget the fact that this country is democratic and each person entering the secretariat is elected by our vote. So “we reap what we sow” and we ought to face the consequences of our own deeds. Now “What is patriotism?” .How do you define patriotism? The above indubitable paragraph itself bears the answer “PATRIOTISM IS REALISATION”. It is the realisation that unifies this entire country as one home and this entire mankind as one family. It lies in the allegiance one pays in his work, in treating the fellow countrymen with love and compassion but not in killing one another abominably in the vehemence of religion. People generally feign as if they are oblivious of the above facts but still facts are facts forever. This is not a discussion aimed in vandalising the vitreous personal feelings of people but is just a comprehensive attempt of freeing from the minds of the people, the clouds of perplexity. But the irony is that “it is easier to preach rather to practise”. « return.