Happy Republic Day India!

I would have been surprised if I hadn't woken up to the cacophony of patriotic songs from old Hindi movies being blared from multiple loudspeakers today morning. But 70 years down the lane my compatriots don't seem to have lost their penchant for this. All the usual suspects have been played as I write this - ऐ मेरे वतन के लोगो, कर चले हम फिदा, वंदे मातरम (from movie आनंद मठ), मेरा रंग दे बसंती चोला (this one seems to have multiple versions), है प्रीत जहा की रीत सदा, संदेसे आते है and मेरे देश की धरती. दुल्हन चली and जहा डाल डाल पर सोनेकी चिडिया are yet to make an appearance but I am confident that they will, sooner rather than later. :-)

Well, all is not well in the Republic of India - we are fighting in the name of language, caste, creed, religion and seem to be discovering more and more differences over which we can kill each other. The farmers are committing suicide. The environment is being destroyed. Women are facing discrimination and violence. More laws are being broken than followed. Every year I wonder how this country - of different cultures, languages, castes and religions - is being held together and every year I fear that we will eventually fall apart.

But we haven't, at least, till now. There is news - never front page (encouraging news rarely makes it there, today's journalism being what it is!) - of people going beyond these differences to help each other out, of honest people returning valuable things to their rightful owners, of people doing what they can to protect the environment, of people losing their lives while trying to save others' and of people doing their bit to make sure that this country gets better every day.

We can follow their lead without having to go out of our way or causing a great inconvenience to ourselves. We simply have to decide to do one thing from here on. It could be to follow traffic rules - not to start driving till the signal turns green (no matter how much others honk!) and not to start crossing the road on foot if the pedestrian walking sign is off. It could be to donate to a good charity working on a cause dear to our heart - amount does not matter, desire does. It could be to save water - saying no when the server brings water as soon as we are seated in the restaurants (if you don't intend to drink it) or refills it later. To not forward hateful messages on whatsapp or any other social media. None of these are really difficult, are they? And certainly more effective than playing the same patriotic songs every year (and polluting the environment in the process!).

We have to remember that our Constitution gave us rights but we also have responsibilities. Oh, and in case you are wondering, my resolution for this year is to fill up the form for organ donation. :-)

I happened to watch a scene from the movie 'Legion' yesterday. God has lost all faith in humanity and sends an army of angels to destroy it. And yet there is one angel who stands shoulder to shoulder with humans to defend them. When the protagonist, Jeep, asks him how he managed to keep his faith, the angel replies that it is because of people like him that he knows that there is hope yet for humanity. It is worth fighting for.

Let's give that angel more reasons to fight for us now, shall we? :-)