Stand Up

Ronald Reagan once said "Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction. We didn't pass it to our children in the bloodstream. It must be fought for, protected, and handed on for them to do the same, or one day we will spend our sunset years telling our children and our children's children what it was once like in the United States where men were free. " As we celebrate the 65th year of our freedom i cannot but wonder if our freedom is under threat. My grand old man tells me of a generation who not only talked about their love for their country but also walked the talk . A generation where people looked up to their leaders with hope and faith . A generation where leaders did not only represent the nation , but also drew up a path on which the nation would walk after they have gone . They were far sighted enough not to leave us with a meaningless freedom but they created foundations on which the structures of a free nation would rest easy. And then that generation was gone . My grand old man looks at me and sees a generation whose favourite tiempass is using much colourful language to describe how hopeless our representatives are . A generation which has no leaders but a lot of politicians, less governance and more rulers , a generation which sees corruption as a part of life and political power as a family jewel to be passed from one generation of rulers to the next in his or her family . The great generation of indian history gave us democracy , a system of the people , for the people and by the people . Today , 6 decades later we have a system of corruption and sycophancy , for making money and by people still largely uneducated. Most of my friend look in our neighbourhood and say "As you sow so shall you reap' , but they refuse to acknowledge the fact the it took them only one generation to be where they are . Is this generation of India by its inaction and tolerance to corruption be that generation which sees the nation slowly trudging towards the slippery slope of self destruction. We are already seeing the signs, maoism , violent seperatist movements , violent linguistic and regional movements ,politics in religion and religion in politics , costly and exclusive education system .

A doctor friend of mine told me our nation is inflicted by something similar to what AIDS virus does. The very systems that were supposed to protect us have turned against us . A political system which was supposed to take us forward on modern thought and polity has turn regressive by eery passing year . We now have a party for every cast , sub-caste , religion and region . A police which was supposed to protect us and maintain law has for been found guiltyin innumerable circumstance to have been in cahoots with the guilty . Sometimes commiting crime themselves , otherwise cleaning up the evidences for a paltry sum or just being mute spectators to a burning man who they were supposed to protect . A judiciary which was supposed to be blind to class and caste has become blind to time . Delays in justice now run not in years but in decades . Nitish Katara , priyadarshini mattoo , jessica lal and plenty others have been the victms of the failure of our judiciary . Every structure of our democracy is under attack . As these systems failed our rulers watched in glee . A system run on money and power forms their strength. They are not all corrupt , but there are far too many of corrupt in the systems. As the recent spat of scams showed us ,those corrupt in the system have made themselves indespensible and those not have turned blind to corruption.

A wise man once said, Peace is not absence of war , but result of victory. We are at war with our own systems and this year the war has found a face and a symbol. A battle field has opened up and lines have been drawn. The moment has come , this is may not end the war but this could very well be the waterloo moment .On the 16th of this august a fight for our freedom from corrution and an irresponsive and irresponsible governance will be fought. And non-voilence , as it was then , will again be the weapon of choice . Non violent the method may be, but it would need no less fire in the belly to win this battle . No less courage and determination would be required . No less endurance to pain and no less resistance to mud slinging will be asked for .

An old man on his 74 year old feet ,with a Gandhi topi on his head ,has decided to stand up and fight . He has called up on this generation to join his fight . Will this generation stand up on its young strong legs . Will this generation answer his call or will watch in silence as it always does . Is this generation going back to the coffee table to talk or will it walk the talk this time. I dont know what it will do . I know what I will do . I will spread the word . I will show my support in every which way possible . When our nation celebrates its 100th year of independence I wanna look at the kids , show them the tricolour pinned on my shirt and tell them I have earned it . I will stand up .