Are we really independent?Do a soul search this independence day-Part III

Are we religion-wise independent? Now, there comes the proverbial thorny question. The root cause of modern terrorism around the world. From Iraq to Iran to Syria to Lebanon to Israel to Palestine to India to US…. the list of affected places is never ending, so you can imagine the enormity and sufferings that come with them. The hatred w.r.t religion is at the peak and the tolerance level for them has hit an all-time low. In India it is the case of Hindu vs. the Islam, in Israel it is the Jews vs. the Islam and thanks to these religious fanatics Islam has earned a bad name even though it being internally and morally harmless. This is the Frankenstein monster that we have to fight with and render it toothless and spineless. Terror instills fear and collective fear weaken the nation so its in our own interest that we fight this scourge and emerge victorious.

Are we economically independent? Now here is the question whose answer is a medley of positives and negatives. Yes, we can proudly call ourselves a developing nation but the journey has just begun and we have to change our internal fiber to herald a revolutionary metamorphosis of India. We as a nation is plagued with systemic corruption ,genetic incompetence and lethargy and we are content at calling ourselves the ‘Chalta hai’ country with a ‘chalta hai’ attitude. These shortcomings drag us down and we fail to live the ‘developed world’ dream. India has to shed the cobwebs of casualness and indifference to become a true economic superpower. Atleast we have a realistic chance in this case.

Are we medically independent? I would say an emphatic no! Actually in this case there is a huge chasm between the haves and haves not. On one hand we have the apollos, the lohias who are providing the best-in-class service so much so that the foreigners are making a bee-line to India for getting a world-class yet cheap treatment and I salute our brave and competent doctors for that. But on the other hand majority of the population is devoid of the most basic healthcare services, the govt is as usual non-receptive and there are thousands of deaths because of lack of medical care. Sincere efforts are being made here and there but that’s just a trickle, we need a tsunami of such individual and organizational efforts to make India a healthy place to live in. May be we should give it another 40 years.

Are we politically independent? Its answer involves satire and irony.How? Let’s check it out. India is more than independent in terms of the formation of the parties; every groused soul can or rather forms a party and uses tax-payer’s money and other public resources to further its own sinister political goals. Does any informed soul has any idea of the no. of regional and national parties in India. I bet I won’t get one as the number keeps changing by the day. In this respect I seriously feel that the freedom is far too much, it should be curtailed and India should introduce 2 party system as in the US. This would help immensely the average Joe like me in making informed decisions and would also keep the incumbent government on its toes. Yes, Yes, I know that I’m living in a fool’s paradise to even imagine such a scenario but guys its independence day and every patriotic Indian has a right to live in this utopian world even though for a few minutes in his dreams.

Remember we can live this dream longer, brighter and closer to reality. Amen. Long Live India.