Continued from Our Identity – Part I…
But then the obvious question is “When so much is happening in India, why are you still reminiscencing the ancient glory at ‘Vande Mataram’? Talk of today’s times”. The answer to this question is, however, in another query. When can you call somebody an Indian? Come on, it’s not a tough question. A man named Fakirchand who is a resident of Kolkata drives a cycle-rickshaw to earn a living. On what basis will you determine whether he is an Indian or not? Will you check his passport (which, incidentally, he doesnt have!) or will you look at the fact that he was born in India? The answer is neither. For Indianness runs in the veins, it is in the heart and mind. Our hero of today, Fakirchand, eats roti and speaks Bengali. If required, he attempts Hindi too. He works very hard to make ends meet as he has a family to support. He works tirelessly throughout the year to collect money for Durgapuja. He even makes Goddess Durga’s idol with his own hands. He likes ‘Machcher-jhol‘ and rice. Now, imagine the same Fakirchand working in a renowned software firm in Kolkata. He spends six months of the year abroad, goes for a vacation every weekend with his wife and kids, and eats in Pizza Hut or McDonalds. Well, his explanation is ‘You see, the kids these days love pizzas and burgers!’ He doesn’t have time for Durgapuja or Kalipuja, everybody converses in English at home and all that the kids know of Bengali is ‘kichchu kichchu’. And not to mention the Pepsis and Colas which form an integral part of their meals. And so the saga continues. Now, dear reader, you decide. Which of these two Fakirchands can be called an Indian?
We must recollect that neither Fakirchand nor his kids are at fault. They are just moving with the times. The progress of India should be accompanied by progressive Indianness. I must stress, that all the products of foreign brands or identities are not bad. However, the decision of what we accept and what we don’t should be ours. I also like pizza. But under no circumstance can it be compared to the ‘khichdi’ and ‘methi ka saag’ (along with Desi ghee) made by my Mother.
Today the term ‘Brand India’ is becoming increasingly common. I feel hurt. For, this country is our Mother. The faith and devotion to her should spring from within. We need to decorate India with the same faith as that we do towards Mother Durga. We needn’t advertise to get the attention of other countries. India has been and is great. And this is because of the respect, that we, her children accord to her. We needn’t put up advertisements and hoardings. We need to clearly comprehend the role of our past glory as well as our present times. If we were prosperous earlier, why is it not so now? What have we done? What mistakes have we committed on the lanes of time?
We must remember our identities, lest we lose the battle after winning. It is possible that McDonalds will be taken over by some Indian company, one day. Nevertheless, it would not become Indian till it served ‘Sarson da saag’ and ‘Makke di roti’ alongwith fancy burgers. The day this happens, my friends, I’ll take a dip in the holy Ganges. And if this doesn’t, damn! I shall give up drinking ‘chai’.
(To be continuted… with inputs motivated by comments on our Hindi and English blogs.)
