You say you want a damn revolution
The same CM was criticised when he said during his sit in that: Republic Day does not mean people enjoying tableau at Rajpath… it means the rule of people! To many it may sound offensive, intolerable and do on, but come to think of it, he has a point. It is perhaps time to rethink on why we celebrate Republic Day and whether we are truly justified in doing so. As a child Republic Day was a fun outing and the parade a treat for our still star filled eyes. Then as one grew up the enthusiasm dwindled and the idea of having to get up early and walk miles became a chore and with the advent of live TV one could still view the pomp and glory.
For the past years, since I began blogging, I have written a post on Republic Day. But these have been about the celebrations our children organise at every centre. Today too they will be hoisting the national flag and singing the anthem with pride. Watching them is heart wrenching as one knows how their morrows have been hijacked by wily politicians and corrupt administrators. This year I did not have the heart to go.
I wondered what I would write today in the face of all the chaos we are witnessing where hubris mingles with hope and one wonders who will be the winner. The arrival of a new party which seemed to look more like the one our forefathers would have wished for when they drafted the very Constitution we celebrate on January 26th gave us all a sense of hope. We were all willing to forgive them their teething problems as we knew that the well entrenched parties will do everything within their power to ensure their fall. The incidents of last week did upset even die hard supporters as it was not in sync with what we had all pinned our hope’s on. What was endearing about the new kid on the block was that it proved to one and all that that elections could be won without huge sums of money, with utmost transparency and irrespective of class, creed, caste and social background. What a breath of fresh air. We were all touched by the enthusiasm of our young ministers who took to the task head on. They were like kids with stars in their eyes and I guess that most of us were willing to forgive them their mistakes hoping they could correct them as they moved along.
I was extremely sad when one incident turned ugly and gave all detractors the break they were looking for. I so wish our CM had simply asked the minister in question to take time off till the matter was cleared. By trying to defend him, he has given more fuel to his detractors. It is now a dirt political game with all guns blazing: from racism, to gender issues, to political filth. I just hope our new party learns their lessons fast and take all the remedial measures needed. They are the only hope we have, believe me so we need to be patient and pray.
On this republic day I would like us to remember some of the main tenets of our constitution, as we seem to have forgotten them. Every single citizen has the same rights: Equality before law, Prohibition of discrimination on grounds of religion, race, caste, sex or place of birth, Equality of opportunity in matters of public employment, Abolition of Untouchability; Protection of certain rights regarding freedom of speech, etc. Protection in respect of conviction for offences; Protection of life and personal liberty; Prohibition of employment of children in factories, etc. Freedom of conscience and free profession, practice and propagation of religion and in each of these, the framers of our constitution have gone into minute details. Let us not forget the Preamble which states
