I have
called it poetic before. But ironic is more like it. India’s Independence Day
is also the day I started on an independent journey eleven years ago. India went through a freedom struggle of significant
proportions where countless died and the country itself tore apart along the
lines of religion.
called it poetic before. But ironic is more like it. India’s Independence Day
is also the day I started on an independent journey eleven years ago. India went through a freedom struggle of significant
proportions where countless died and the country itself tore apart along the
lines of religion.
I achieved mine with a forty seven thousand rupee ticket
aboard a twenty hour British Airways flight destined for the blackout of Chicago
in 2003.
aboard a twenty hour British Airways flight destined for the blackout of Chicago
in 2003.
Post
independence, one finds out that the battle is only half won. India struggled
with her five her plans, her new set of conservative values that the damn British
fostered. Poor had no place to go. The rich found news ways of exploitation. Corrupt Socialism took a strange stronghold. It almost
seemed anticlimactic after the industriousness and jest of her people that got
her the independence.
independence, one finds out that the battle is only half won. India struggled
with her five her plans, her new set of conservative values that the damn British
fostered. Poor had no place to go. The rich found news ways of exploitation. Corrupt Socialism took a strange stronghold. It almost
seemed anticlimactic after the industriousness and jest of her people that got
her the independence.
I
too didn’t have it rosy in the land of dreams. It made me do my own dishes,
laundry and clean-up chores that I just wasn’t used to. The long hours at
school consisted of finishing coursework that I barely understood (Laplace transforms
and state space) and smelling like coffee after my part time stint at the
school coffee shop. It was a struggle of all sorts. I wore running
sneakers with denims because I couldn’t afford life style shoes. I had to save
up for 15 dollar haircuts. And I had to trolley my groceries regardless of the
weather, from a supermarket which was over a mile away.
too didn’t have it rosy in the land of dreams. It made me do my own dishes,
laundry and clean-up chores that I just wasn’t used to. The long hours at
school consisted of finishing coursework that I barely understood (Laplace transforms
and state space) and smelling like coffee after my part time stint at the
school coffee shop. It was a struggle of all sorts. I wore running
sneakers with denims because I couldn’t afford life style shoes. I had to save
up for 15 dollar haircuts. And I had to trolley my groceries regardless of the
weather, from a supermarket which was over a mile away.
It has
been eleven years since. We both have
faced the consequences of our decisions. India has blossomed in parts and
struggled in others. I have reveled in joy and have dramatically despaired.
While the Indian in me has diluted, I continue to harbor her spirit of true
hope and the ability to triumph over desperate times.
been eleven years since. We both have
faced the consequences of our decisions. India has blossomed in parts and
struggled in others. I have reveled in joy and have dramatically despaired.
While the Indian in me has diluted, I continue to harbor her spirit of true
hope and the ability to triumph over desperate times.
We are
entwined with a passport and an inner sense of belonging. We share of set of
values that surprise me at times. And I just can’t stop remembering this day and
its ironies. In a country of a billion, it
must be insignificant when one of her citizen left her behind. An insignificance that is entirely lost on a
11 yr old independent who is still on the flee.
entwined with a passport and an inner sense of belonging. We share of set of
values that surprise me at times. And I just can’t stop remembering this day and
its ironies. In a country of a billion, it
must be insignificant when one of her citizen left her behind. An insignificance that is entirely lost on a
11 yr old independent who is still on the flee.
A Good one.