Rubaroo with Belief

“And, when you want something, all the universe conspires in helping you to achieve it.” These words from Paulo Coelho sound very philosophical and impractical unless one experiences the power of belief. This is a narrative of one such encounter that I had with belief.

It was 14^th of October, 2017, a Saturday preceded by the auspicious Friday the 13^th. I was leaving from my residence at around 3PM in the afternoon to the venue where we were to perform William Shakespeare’s Macbeth in the evening. Everything was set, rehearsals were done, the backdrop and set were ready at the venue. There was just one mighty challenge before us – the rains. The venue was an open ground, so needless to say that we can’t perform if it rains. The entire ensemble of around 40 people which included over 25 actors and the crew could see all the efforts put up by them in the last 2 months towards this show (literally) going down the drain. The Hindi proverb ‘Mehnat pe paani fir jaana’ was quite literally flaunting off itself to us.

While the others were worried and even sad about the fact that rain wasn’t stopping, I was calm, indifferent and to an extent pessimistic towards this. All these can be owed to the earlier such instances where rains interrupted or even resisted our performances. And surprisingly all these rains were untimely. The first instance was on October 31^st, 2015 when we were to perform Gagan Damama Bajyo – a play based on the life of Bhagat Singh. The show was to start at 7PM, and we were visited by the rains at 6PM. The entire set-up had to be dismantled. Thankfully the rains stopped at 6-45PM and we could start the show with a 15 minutes of delay. The next instance came on May 9^th, 2016 during the performance of a comedy named Art. Who would have thought that on a midsummer evening, heavens would pour down so furiously? We had to move the performance to an indoor auditorium at the same venue with half the capacity. A sold-out show was performed in front of half the audience. The fact that the remaining half couldn’t turn up at the venue due to the rains helped us in managing the show. The worst instance was during September 24^th and 25^th, 2016 when we had to call off the shows for George Orwell’s 1984 on both days due to heavy rains. Eventually the shows were postponed to and performed on the next available dates which was as late as 14^th and 15^th January, 2017. However, it was absolutely disheartening given that we had put in so much of time and effort in the rehearsals.

A heartbreak makes you stronger and prepares you well for the ones to follow. So my pessimism was due to my proactive preparedness for another heartbreak. There were heavy rains on each day since the last 20 days. The precipitation on the D-day was forecasted to be 90% at 7PM which meant we had 90% chances of rains at the time when the show starts. Besides, there is a notion that Macbeth is a cursed play and it should be referred to as The Scottish Play during rehearsals, which of course we did not do. All these were pointing towards one thing – no show happening tonight. There were multiple discussions that happened in the last few days before the show on whether we should postpone the show or whether we should look for a closed auditorium and shift the venue. But the set up was so huge that a closed auditorium would mean compromise on the grandeur of the production. Finally the decision was made to go as per the plan and put up the show on 14^th. The decision seemed to be a failed one as it was drizzling non-stop since 13^th evening.

The crew reached the venue at 11AM in the morning of 14^th and started putting up the backdrop and the set amidst the drizzle. The cast arrived at 3-30PM and make-up started. All faces tensed, sad and disheartened, as if all were waiting for the director to come and announce that the show is called off. The announcement came at 5-30PM, but it was about assembling of the cast on the stage. The director orchestrated the traditional warm-ups on the stage that was a routine before starting the rehearsals. The drizzle was still on. The entourage was still unsure about the show. And suddenly at around 6PM, the drizzle stopped. The skies had a dense cover of clouds who looked ready to pour their hearts out at any moment. I was still negative about the performance. The show was sold out and we were expecting over 400 people to turn up. If it rains during the show, all of them would run for shelter which would be too embarrassing for the production house. It was a big risk already taken.

The stage was set, audience seated, actors on position, backstage crew in action and the show started. The first act of the total 5 came to an end and I looked at the skies. The clouds were still hovering, but no rains. As a contrast, there was frequent lighting striking in the background which could be seen behind the backdrop by the audience. It sweetly blended with the intensity of the play. The show ended, audience applauded and we cheered thus defying all the notions and the odds. The next it rained was at 1-30AM post that midnight when we were busy partying at a drive-in. This was the first evening in the last 20 days or so when it did not rain at all. The skies held on to it exactly this evening. It was difficult for me to digest, decode or comprehend this strange coincidence. The entire gang except me was praying, hoping, believing that the show will happen, and it did. Although my pessimism was prudent, it was of no use to make things work. What made it work was the belief of these people who really wanted it to happen.

Master Oogway from Kung Fu Panda tells us that we must ‘believe’. We understand it theoretically very well that we must have faith and things will fall in place. But what we need is illustrations or first-hand experience like this as an eye-opener, as a driving factor to make us believe, to make us have faith. While I still refuse to believe in God and do not interpret this as some divine intervention, it has surely changed my perspective towards goodness, faith and belief.

 

 

 

Sugarfree Sweets, Smokefree Diwali

We are nearing doom. The water levels have risen. The ice caps are melting. The storms and hurricanes are frequenting. Average temperature of our planet has gone up. These facts are not being stated here newly. We all have heard or read about these from various sources. While some people challenge the factual nature of these statements just to favor capitalists, the universal truth is that Global Warming is real and apocalypse is approaching us faster that we expect.

The news-feed on all of social media since this morning is full of articles, opinions, debates on the honorable Supreme Court of India banning the sale of crackers in Delhi and nearby regions. As if Delhi did not have its own social and political problems, it is on the verge of becoming un-livable owing to the environmental problems. And the SC has taken a call to cater to this. However, the picture being painted with strong political motive is of selective censorship of festivals. Comparisons to Jallikattu and Bakr Eid are being made. The typical "What about them/that?" rhetoric is being played. On the other hand, chain smokers are coming out in support of this move. Wise for them, they cannot afford to do any more damage than they are already doing to the ecosystem. People needing Air Conditioners and Refrigerators 24X7 are exposing their own hypocrisy by preaching righteousness to the world.

The State Government will claim Mr. Prime Minister is behind this move, like they say for every other issue with the laughable claim that the Center does not let them work. The ruling party will call this anti-national, anti-Hindutva and ask the "what about" questions. The opposition will call it religious appeasement by both State and Centre to gain votes, in spite of the fact that they already have got votes and you have got none. Although the thought process behind the decision has remotely nothing to do with religion, all these cartels will make it so to gain a political mileage. And that is how it has been. They have been hiding behind religion to satisfy all their greed. The hurtful part is that majority of us are not even aware of being used as pawns in their battles. The blind loyalty and affiliation that we have is once again leading us to fall from a cliff.

In my opinion, religions have done more bad than good to this world. And a part of the good that religions have done is the festivals which give people reasons to come together and celebrate. But like any other existing thing, a religion too has to evolve with time to exist. And although at a different pace than other, each religion has evolved with time. The fading away of regressive Sati practice, ouster of un-touchability in most parts if not all, education for girls, acceptance towards LGBT community (socially though not legally 'yet') and many other changes are examples of this evolution. Optimizing our festivals is another step towards this evolution, and it is necessary for us to survive now more than any time in history.

Banning of crackers will not drastically reduce pollution in Delhi. But at least it will not worsen what is already terrible there. And besides, is Diwali only about bursting crackers? Does a smoke-free Diwali dampen the warm feeling of people going back home to be with families? Does it reduce the sweetness of a Kaju Katli or a Bundi ka Laddoo? All it does is take care of the environment and our collective health. We prefer sugar-free sweets for our well-being and survival. By the same logic, smoke-free Diwali will multiply the well-being of our surroundings to many-fold.

Leo utilized most part of the 2 minutes of his first ever Oscar speech to give an important message on environment. To quote him - "Let us not take this planet for granted. I do not take tonight for granted." We still cannot avoid the inevitable, we have come too far to go back and correct things for the plant to survive long now. But as Syrio Forel tells Arya Stark - "What do we say to the God of Death? Not today", we need to prolong the doom as much as possible. With that cliched reference from Game of Thrones (which is a must in my blogs just for the love of it), wishing you a safe, happy and smoke-free Diwali.

The Mystery of Satisfaction

I really wonder how satisfaction surveys work in companies. The surveys might help in bringing to the table the concerns that the employees have. But it can hardly lead to any increase in the satisfaction level of the employees. Based on these surveys, the companies devise an action plan to address the concerns and work on the areas of improvement. However, the next year's survey will bring some new issues and the satisfaction level will more of less be the same. The sole reason for this is that it is not human nature to be satisfied.

We humans are a bunch of cribbers. We can crib* about anything and everything.  As the famous line in Munna Bhai M.B.B.S. goes - 'Mehnagai ki maar se lekar cricket team ki haar tak' - from the burdens of inflation to the loss in a sport, we crib about everything. And we continue to  grumble even when the things change as we want them to be. For example, we used to crib when the earlier head of our Government didn't speak much and we crib now when the successor speaks too much of his Mann ki Baat. Courtesy the profession, I have attended a lot of exit interviews where people quote that they are not satisfied with the salary. The matter of fact is no one is ever satisfied with the earnings that one makes. Jim Carrey very wisely said - "I wish everyone becomes rich and get everything they want, so that they can understand that it's not the answer."

Our needs evolve, which is quite accurately depicted by the Maslow's Pyramid. But are we satisfied when we achieve any of the levels? Or are we satisfied when we reach the top of this pyramid? If not then what can we do to achieve satisfaction? Well, I am not saint or preacher to answer that. I too am a seeker of the answer to this question which compelled me to put up this blog. Our expectations grow with the fulfillment of each of our needs. So is expectation the problem? I do not believe so. Because expectation is what keeps one going. An expectation means something is there to look forward to. Having no expectations is like living without any dreams and leaving things to destiny. So what is missing?

I guess we are missing some realization at our end which is acting as a hurdle in the path of our satisfaction, the realization to be thankful. From 'Vadani kawal gheta' (A Marathi prayer to be recited before meals) to 'Thank you God for the food we eat', our ancestors have passed on a tradition of being thankful. But as we move and the times and traditions change, we are becoming less thankful and more dissatisfied. While complaining to our mother about the taste of food, we lack the realization that at least there is food at our table. There are many households where the children are sleeping hungry. While feeling sad about living in a one room flat, we forget that there are numerous people with no roofs on their heads. While cribbing about one's job and pay, we forget about the amount of unemployment in the world. We should be thankful for the food, the shelter, the job and all other things that we have than for the things we desire to have.

Another thing which in my view and with my experience can lead to satisfaction is giving back to the society. Nana Patekar profoundly said, "God has given humans two hands because whatever can be occupied in those two hands is sufficient for the human. Anything beyond that should be given back to the society before it falls of your hands." Only a person with such an empathy can pull people towards a successful campaign called NAAM which helps the farmers in Maharashtra and curb suicides. And there is no lower limit for any help. Whichever way one can help humanity in whatever capacity will act as one's contribution towards society.

Satisfaction is a state of mind which can be achieved with efforts towards being thankful and giving back to the society.  With achievement of each level of needs, we should be more and more thankful for being able to do so and more and more giving. Rather than asking the question 'Am I satisfied?', we should ask ourselves 'Am I thankful? Am I helpful?' and the satisfaction will flow in.

PS - Crib* - This is an adapted word, generally used in Indian context to imply complain or grumble.

A Choice : God or Human Life?

In the recent Marathi movie Ventilator, there is a scene where the protagonist is financially unable to continue to put his father on life support and is discussing with his relatives if he should take a call on shutting the life support off. It is Ganesh festival and a death in family would mean the festival has to be called off. One of his uncles who opposes this decision justifies - "Arey Ganpati mahatwacha ki Baap?" implying "How can you prioritize your father over the Ganpati festival?" The dialogue was meant to ask a question to the society - 'If we have to choose, would we prefer God and religion over human life?' I was unaware that I would get the answer on my way back home.

Post the movie I took the Hyderabad-Mumbai Highway and there was a huge traffic jam near Chanda Nagar bus-stop. As I moved ahead slowly, I realized that there was an accident on the road which led to this jam. I approached the site of the accident and saw that an an 8-seater auto rickshaw was lying overturned on the road blocking the traffic. Ahead of this vehicle was a mob surrounding a victim of the accident. It was a lady lying on the road with blood pool around her head. I parked my vehicle a few paces ahead and came back to the site. The driver was severely injured and others in the auto rickshaw had a narrow escape. But this fateful lady was declared dead on spot.

The road is a highway which leads to Pune and Mumbai. It gets huge traffic jams during morning and evening hours due to the office going vehicles. To make matters worse, there is a temple at the center of one side of the road between the road divider and the footpath. This temple bifurcates the one side of the road into two small lanes from where a maximum of one four-wheeler can pass through at a time. I overheard the injured driver telling the traffic cops that the auto rickshaw was passing beside the temple when a car tried to overtake it. The driver moved the auto rickshaw closer to the temple. The auto rickshaw ran over the ramp adjacent to the temple and got overturned. The lady unfortunately was sitting at the corner on the back seat and her head banged on the road when the auto overturned. (pictorial representation below)

 And this is not the only site in Hyderabad where we have a religious buildings right on the road. The Paradise flyover ends at a mosque which reduced the width of the lane. The high speed road between Habsiguda and Uppal which has heavy moving vehicles running has a long temple right at the center of the road. The church at Mettuguda occupies half of the road which leads to Secunderabad railway station. And these are just a few sites. And to add to the mayhem we have an unending phenomenon in the form of Metro construction at all these sites. And there are no efforts or plans to move these religious buildings to a side of the road since the fragile sentiments of people will get hurt by this. Surprisingly these sentiments never get hurt when liquor shops are named like Balaji Wines or Sri Krishna Bar. This again proves The Great Indian Hypocrisy which finds reference in my previous blogs.

While we all pretend to believe in various religions, we all follow a common religion - the religion of convenience. And there is nothing wrong in tweaking religion for ones comfort as long as it doesn't harm anyone. In fact every religion must reinvent itself frequently enough to align itself with the fast moving technology and human lifestyle. Ultimately religion is something that came into existence due to the need to people to come together and co-exist happily. But when something related to religion comes in path (figuratively and literally in this case) of humanity or threatens human life, there is a problem. Every person can save at least 10-20 minutes of time a day if not for the jams at such sites. And imagine the amount of fuel wasted per vehicle due to the jams. With the threat of global warming looming over the world, we cannot afford to spoil the nature even one bit. Every molecule of carbon emitted in the atmosphere is leading the world to it's end.

The accident could easily have been avoided had the temple not been there. But sadly God takes priority over human life. We, all of us, believers and non-believers have to take a call on this for the sake of humanity. Let us choose logic over religious sentiments. Let us support anything that helps human life. Let us avoid opposition in the name of religion to development. Let us not fight for demolishing a mosque or building a temple unless it assures saving at least one life or feeding at least one hungry stomach. When we can move the statues of our national leaders from the center of cross roads to a side, we can and should be fine with the movement of religious monuments as well. And trust me, God won't be offended with this step.

PS - Posting a modified version of this blog as a letter to Hyderabad Traffic Police.

Bachchan turns 74

I found a piece of paper in one of the old file-folders. It was the question paper of my kindergarten admission. The last question was - 'Who is your favorite actor and why?' The answer written by my father beside the question read - 'Amitabh Bachchan. Because he is dashing.' As a 3 year old kid, all I could do was learn it and recite at the test. There was no belief required in the answer. Hardly did I know then that the answer would be a prediction and I would actually end up being a die hard fan of the man.

The earliest memory of a Big B film is Hum. I watched it with my father and used to pester him every day to tell me the story when he used to give me a bath. However, the actual realization and admiration for his work started from SLB's Black. I remember I could not find anyone to watch the movie (which is generally the case with me for all good movies), so I went alone and was mesmerized by the performance. The way he entered the skin of Debraj Sahai was proof enough of his acting prowess. I revisited all his movies after watching him in Black. When I watched Deewar again, it seemed as a brave choice given the negative trait of his character which meets the fate eventually. The anger in Zanjeer, the ego in Abhimaan, the poise in Sholay, the humour in Chupke Chupke, the charisma in Don, the naughtiness in Namak Halal, the dialogue delivery in Sharaabi all represent the different shades of his acting. The actual arsenal of his acting skills can be seen in the unsung movies like Govind Nihlani's Dev and Rajkumar Santoshi's Khakee. To deliver a memorable performance when pitched against the sheer excellence of Dilip Kumar in Shakti is commendable in itself.

Amitabh has done some populist mass movies which were zero on substance and content. The differentiating factor though is the maturity of choice. While the contemporaries are busy making formula movies with larger than life roles for self, Amitabh is experimenting at the age of 74 with movies like Piku, Te3n and Pink, most of which do not have him in lead roles. I can recollect Shah Rukh and Hrithik rejecting Rang De Basanti since Aamir was in lead role. And here is a guy who is fine being paid less than Deepika for Piku. In a world where stars want to empower women just by putting the name of leading lady before himself during the credits, Big B is the true ambassador of equality of pay for both genders and is leading by example.

Mr. Bachchan's life was not aloof from controversies and mistakes. He had his fare share of those. An extra marital affair, an instigating statement post Indira Gandhi's assassination, affinity to the Nehru-Gandhi family which raises a lot of questions about his parentage, affiliation to SP and its fools like Thakur Amar Singh, his political stint, bankruptcy of ABCL, and talking about disasters who can forget Ram Gopal Varma ki Aag. But that makes him more human. The noteworthy point here is his elegance even in his failures. He is an institution in himself equally because of his failures as because of his glories.

The most important attribute of the legend is his humility. While some self-proclaimed stars full of themselves choose to use lines like 'Naam to suna hoga' and 'Bas naam hi kaafi hai', our man makes sure he introduces himself with 'Namaskar, Main hu Amitabh Bachchan' every time he makes a stage appearance. There are three type of actors - one having arrogance without substance (read Salman), one having arrogance with substance (read Shah Rukh) and the last one having substance without any arrogance. Amitabh is the last one, and very few of the contemporary actors fall in this category along with him.

I still cannot change the TV channel when an Amitabh movie is playing, be it Kaalia, Ajooba, Lal Badshah or even Sooryavansham. Recently I was discussing with my father about his performance in Pink. He proudly boasted that Amitabh is an actor from his generation and none of the actors in my generation can match him. My counter to it was that the performances by the Amitabh of my generation were far better than those by the Amitabh of his generation given the diversity and variety of his characters. Finally we agreed on the fact that Amitabh is beyond any generation. All three generations at my home claimed his ownership. I hope the next generations get the privilege to claim the same as well. Here's wishing him a very happy birthday and a long life ahead. May he continue to act and inspire us till eternity.


PS - I know I am a biased fan, but the legend of Big B is beyond any biases. No one can deny his claim as Sadi ka Mahanayak.

The Sea-Face

The sea-face was full of people. She was waiting for him at the shore staring at the Bandra-Worli sea link. She remembered the time when it was being built. She used to come at the sea-face with him to see the enormous structure. “By the time the sea link is complete, we will be together. We will buy a car and go for a number of rides through the sea link”, his voice rang in her head. The sea-face was special for them. It was here that he had proposed her. Their first kiss, first argument, all the dreams about the future, all of these memories were cultivated here at the sea-face. It was difficult for her to get out of her house then. She used to lie about a sewing class in the afternoon and meet him. “Come back before the namaaz”, her abba used to say. She obeyed and never missed the namaaz in the evening. He used to live in the very next chawl with his family. After picking her up on the way, he would take her around Mumbai. He was a firm believer in Siddhivinayak Ganpati and used to take her to the temple at Prabhadevi every Thursday. Other days they would mostly spend time at the sea-face.

Today she was sitting at the same spot where they were spotted by her khala which started the catastrophe. She was dragged on the floor towards the only bedroom in their house and was forced to solitary confinement. Her two mothers, three younger brothers and two elder sisters were watching all this as if it was a lesson for them. There was no mode of communication with him. After a couple of days, she was helplessly shouting from the room, “He will be waiting for me, just let me meet him once”, but to no use. She had lost all hope to see him again, but one dreadful meeting was still planned by the destiny. The locality they lived in was communally sensitive. One fateful day, provocative statements by a communal leader led to riots in the area. There were loud knocks at the doors of her house. Everyone including her abba were frightened to open the door. Soon the knocks turned violent. The mob tried to break the door open while the family members resisted by pushing the door with their backs. But it was not long enough that the mob succeeded in getting inside. She was inside the inner room, too scared to say a word. She sat silently through the murder of her father and mothers, through the screams of her sisters while being raped, through the loud cries of her brothers while being mutilated, skinned and killed. Failing to notice another room in the house, the mob left the house with corpses on the floor.

There was complete silence for some time. Then she heard a person enter the house. “Ruksana” – he called out. It was him. She did not know how to react to his call. While she was elated to hear his voice and pleased with the thought that she will get to meet him after so long, she was imagining the horrendous scenes outside the room and feeling the fearsome pain of losing her loved ones. “A-A-Anirudh”, she called out in a broken voice. He broke open the door of the room and took her in his arms. He could smell her hair once again. He kissed her like there is no tomorrow. She did not have the courage to go outside, but he held her hand and took her out. A fierce cry came from her throat on seeing her family destroyed by the mob. The corpses of her siblings and parents lay all around the blood-colored floor. ‘The corpses in riots cannot expect cremation’ she thought to herself and agreed to leave. In order to keep her safe from the fanatics, he took her to his house in the next chawl and asked his mother and younger sister to take care of her. His father was against this but he was too bogged down by the riots to oppose.

While we humans discriminate each other basis race, religion, caste, creed, color, etc. death does not believe in discrimination. It is fair and unfair to all equally. His chawl was attacked by the fanatics of the other community, his house was bugged and the family met a similar fate. The mob detected that she belonged to their community and did not advance at her. But they hurt her with the weapons when she tried to defend his family. She was lying helpless on the floor, wounded, when they cut his father’s head and hanged it at the door near the aakash-kandil. She tried to get up and stop them when they were raping his sister. She was just crying loudly when they tore his mother’s abdomen and took out her intestine on one of the swords. But she could not see him. A few of them had dragged him outside just before the massacre.

The next she woke up was at a hospital bed in a nearby government hospital. All she could hear was loud wails, all she could smell was death, all she could see was corpses. She took a couple of months to recover from the injuries. She saw a lot of politicians visit the hospital in these days, some promised a relief package, some promised a revenge. Today morning she was discharged. She had to visit the sea-face today. The sea-link was to be inaugurated today. She could see a host of VIPs with their convoys at the sea-link. She recollected that the minister who was to inaugurate the sea-link had visited the hospital with a kerchief at her nose. A few days back she had got to know from one of the neighbors who visited her at the hospital that his body was found in pieces at the chawl. But she knew she would find him here. She was waiting for him, to come and hug her and take her for a ride on the sea-link. As it started to turn dark, she saw her hopes setting with the sun. Neither her namaaz nor his Siddhivinayak were able to help them be together in this life. She climbed the rocks at the sea-face and jumped into the sea. She was swimming towards the sea-link. She knew she would meet him there. She swam and swam till she disappeared with the sun.

Is my Bharat still Mahaan?

It used to be a 7AM assembly at the school and the flag hoisitng was a much awaited event. The 2-week preparation prior to the event, the lezim rally, the mallkhamb show, the playing of national anthem by the school band, the sweets distribution, all the volunteers and friends excited enough to come to school on a holiday. As we moved from childhood to adulthood, the importance of the Independce Day went down. We achieve the maturity to understand that it's just another day and any celebration won't solve the mess that the country is currently in.

I consider this a fair argument courtesy my belief that life should be celebrated in moments and not in just days. Celebrating the same day overs the years reduces the importance of the moment that we eventually want to cherish. Rather than that, we should look for more such memorable moments. But then, the same argument holds true for birthdays, anniversaries, world mother day, earth day, etc. And there is a group of self-proaimed intellectuals who derive immense pleasure in taking sarcastic digs at people putting up Indian National Flag as display picture or putting a patriotic quote or a song on social network. These are the same individuals who put posts like 6-month marriage anniversary, first date anniversary, celebrating my birthday, celebrating mother's day by eating maa ke haath ka khana and other types of displays of affection. If all these can be celebrated then why not Independence Day?

Going by my philosophy of live and let live, I do not have any opposition for any of these two categories of individuals. However, the only thing that bothers me is the double standards on both sides. The person who wants to show his love for the country is waiting for an opportunity to move out of the country and settle in US or Europe, and the person who criticizes this by boasting about righteousness basically has never done any action to support the country or to question the other person's show of affection for the nation. We all love to pull each other's legs on such issues and consider our duties for the larger society done. We crib about a near-zero tally at Olympics but want our kids to take education as a priority over sports. We all vouch for removing reservations but never want our kids to marry a person from a lower caste.

This proves that we are not only the world's largest (failed) democracy but also the world's largest hypocrisy. Mera Bharat Mahaan is a baseless self-praising lie that we tell ourselves. We used to be great, but not now. We cannot be mahaan till we have conscienceless hypocritical wars internally. We definitely have the ability to move our country towards greatness but no intent at all, at least in the current circumstances. And blaming this on others will not take us there.

If a difference has to be made, the change has to start from us. As the famous line goes - Don't ask what the country has done for you, think what you have done for the country. Swach Bharat is one such change initiative which has penetrated across the barriers of political affiliation. There should be more such programs which target the larger good. Criticizing it because of the dubious credentials of it's propagator would only slow down the speed of this positive change. We have to accept it at least for it's intent. And this was just one example, whereas we can start many such initiatives with right intent and the nation will follow.

Lastly, if we have to be righteous, we should be  it for ourself and not for our facebook walls or instagram. Every act that we do eventually contributes to the larger society. So being responsible while we act can be a starting step to this change. All we need is a conscience to differentiate right from wrong in the national context. So a better way to celebrate this Independence Day is to change something about ourselves which will have a positive impact on the society. The next Independence Day should be the appraisal for us with the goals set this year (the clichéd simile courtesy the profession of the blogger). Let's take a step towards a better country to make India mahaan again.