Phir Bhi Dil Hai Hindustani
We will not bow down our heads
Phir Bhi Dil Hai Hindustani
By Padma Bhargav, Gujarat, India, Freelance Journalist
Monday, August 27, 2007
Gujarat,India-India...the land of sages, seers, mahatma's, rich culture, ancient heritage, vedas and above all its diversity and much more. It is also the second largest populated country in the world. Our motherland has come across lots of ups and downs before and after independence, first it was the freedom struggle and then it was the stuggle to keep up the freedom, protect its integrity and internal division.
Well, despite all this India has shown progress in several fronts with fighting spirit and commitment to excel. It has all been possible only and only because of the large and diverse population, bold and strong minded citizens who remained together in all odds, and proved again and again that India will never succumb to pressure, be it external or internal. This is the people strength, which is the real strength of the largest democracy of the world.
It is the people of India who have put up with all sorts of challenges coming their way, gave their lives and yet made it clear that come what may "We will not bow down our heads." It is this killer instinct which is taking India ahead on the world map. Probably this is the reason that once upon a time, brain drain was the biggest problem and today reverse brain drain is the biggest pride for us. Apart from that, about 51.6 per cent of Indian-Americans have high-skilled jobs, more than 10,000 Indian nurses are working in America. That is not all. There are many more areas where Indians are proving to be the stronghold of economy. Not only is India offering several lucrative opportunities in latest fields, but Indians staying abroad are coming back to their home country. This is strengthening our country from both sides and it is because of this strength that it is being estimated that around 550 million youth will play a crucial role in the development of India by 2020. This is the real strength of India, the people with diversified skills, talents and qualifications.
This is the right time to proceed in the right direction and accomplish goals collectively. We need to cherish our freedom in the true sense, it is just now enough to give speeches on independence day or remember the martyrs who sacrificed their lives on their birth or death anniversaries. We have miles to go and the need of the hour is unity and unfortunately caste-based politics is the biggest hindrance in the way. The political leaders have been dividing the people's strength in the name of class, caste, religion, community for the sake of vote banks. As a result, we have not been able to achieve our basic goals in the considerably large span of 60 years. Moreover, others are taking advantage of this weakness and trying to destabilize, disintegrate and divide us further. I feel that the leader should be selected on the basis of what he or she has done for the society, state, nation or at least their own constituency rather than what he or she has done for a particular class or caste. It is the time to check the merit of political leaders who have been all along playing with the merit of Indians and gained votes on the basis of reservations in different sectors.
Phir Bhi Dil Hai Hindustani... and I am sure that we will continue to prove that Indians will remain united and march ahead together. We will also show that the real strength of India has the capacity to make it the Super Power of the world.
Padma Bhargav is a freelance journalist and can be reached at e-mail: padma.bhargav@gmail.com
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