Happy Independence Day

To be very honest, while I do say I love India and there is no country like it anywhere in the world, I wouldn't die for this country. I unfortunately am not that patriotic.

Also someone once said to me - 'It's not this country or the city you live in that you love so much, it's your life here. If you had to live somewhere else in this city, forget country, you would see things in a whole new light'. After some contemplation, I realise that the guy was absolutely right. I have so many privileges in my life. If some were taken away from me, I don't think I would love so many things I love right now.

Anyway I think one privilege we all take for granted is our independence. I do not say 'freedom' because freedom has a totally different connotation in my mind. No one can really be free but they can be independent. Living in a Democracy is a big thing. Sure we aren't in the day and age when the state would torture people, take away all their rights, take away their money and property but still being able to fall back upon the thought that we can topple governments collectively is a thought that gives comfort to a lot of us. It may never happen but we at least know we have the right.

Anyway enough of a rant which isn't even sounding good.

I always use to say what is the point of all these days. 'Independence Day' sure as hell doesn't remind me about our struggle for independence, our dead freedom fighters, our marches and our fasts, etc. I wasn't around. I also didn't see life before the independence so I wouldn't realize how much I should be grateful for it. But I still believe that days like this are important to 'celebrate' because we then spend a little time contemplation the struggle, contemplating what life must have been like before, contemplating about those who made sacrifices, etc. We never think about this stuff otherwise.


For me 'Independence Day' does have some significance. It wouldn't if Partition hadn't happened but it did and so much of my community (Sindhi) went through such a tough time. I have heard stories of how people who had tons of money had to come into India and live in refugee camps. Stories of how the 'muslim police' entered houses and threw people out in the middle of the night. Stories of how people feared their life and ran.

It wasn't all bad for everyone though and movie sometimes seem to exaggerate things. I know my granddad was in Pakistan till Jan-Feb of 1948 and lived to tell about it. I also know that the torture, murder, mayhem happened even to muslims in India very close to the new border or those trying to get into Pakistan.

I also end up wondering, especially on independence day, whether having a state is important or not. I see culture, values, tradition, language, etc of my community disappearing and it's sad. Sure I am not big for traditions and cultures but it's such a wrong way to loose them - just because we got scattered all over. Traditions etc should be sieved to take out all that is bad and retain all that is good. They shouldn't just disappear because people aren't practicing them collectively.

I don't speak Sindhi and am quite ashamed of it even though I may joke about it. I still am not clear if I am all for a one language, one culture world. I do see it's merits but we would loose a lot in the bargain. While being part of different communities segregates us, I think it also makes us feel unique and collective to some extent. It makes us feel that the others in the group are just like us. So we feel pride and shame when someone in the group feels the same. We have the same problems. Similar outlook. Similar attitude to certain things.

I don't this it is worth loosing all of this.