Wishing everyone a joyous and prosperous Diwali

Today Indian Air Force is celebrating its 75th birthday. One of the top four air forces in the world, IAF is able to show its capability in the time of war, as well as peace. We already have the best fighter aircrafts in the world – many versions of MiG, Sukhoi and Jaguar, and soon our very own indigenous Tejas will be there.

To celebrate the day, the main venue was air force station Hindon, at Ghaziabad. There were some “firsts” associated to this celebration:

It was the first time in the world that the Chief of the air force arrived in an air force parade through air! Yes, Air Chief Marshal S.P. Tyagi, aged 61, reached the venue not by a car, but parachute!

After the usual parade, there followed a (musical) drill parade, first of its kind, which clearly displayed how co-ordinated are our air force personnel. Sukhoi and MiG, along with the pilots showed thier world class talent! For the first time four Sarang helicopters were used together in the aerobatics exercise. Co-ordination in this exercise requires immense amount of practice and capability. There was also a display on how the air force acts in saving injured soldiers.

In the end, the Surya Kiran team showed its skill by drawing Tiranga in the air in different shapes.

All these things not only make us proud, but also make us feel secure – in deed we are! We all Wish they break all the limits and touch the sky, as their motto and the Chapter 11, Verse 24 of Bhagavad Geeta says – nabhah sparsham deeptam!

Here you must see over a 2 hour long video recording of the event if you did not see on Doordarshan today. Worth watching!

Euphoria is the only feeling that an NRI feels whenever s/he visit home. The unparalleled sense of being at home and the elation of being amongst your own can never cease to exist for an Indian. It is correctly suggested that the true respect and admiration of one’s loved ones and country come when it is far off. I have now experienced the same and so have all the NRI’s, India holds very a very special place for all of us. 

The fresh smell of the Indian soil, the love and warmth of the hugs and affection of the family just can not be recreated in any other part of the world. It is no wonder that I noticed a foreigner video recording and documenting the way I met my mom at the airport.  We were meeting after a gap of six months. This was my third trip in one and a half years.

As soon as I entered the reception lobby for arrivals at Indira Gandhi International I saw a marked difference in the way India has started showing the sings of development. People everywhere were happy. Positivity always attracts more positivity. I felt embracing vibrations of positivity in the air. Unlike in the past everyone was happy, everyone was happy and proud being an Indian. 

As soon as we turned towards Gurgaon on NH-8 there were concrete signs of development, the development that everyone can witness, the development that will make India a developed state, a superpower. Symbols of growth in form of infrastructure developments are infusing people of thinking about more development in the right direction.

Next few days I visited the malls and to my pleasant surprise found their facilities exceeding any mall in any city of Europe. The self respecting feeling that we have the best, we too can produce the best and can enjoy the best has made a huge difference in the outlook of every individual on the street. Even though international super brands have made a fashion lifestyle statement, Indian brands were in no regards lagging behind. If there was crowd rushing in a McDonalds/Pizza Hut outlet, there was an even greater number of people wanting to get in a Chor Bazzar/Sagar Ratna/Moti Mahal, if there was a Christian Dior watch on the display it was rightly complimented by a Titian and an HMT quartz, all the variety and that too for everyone. Except for a rare few I do not think that there are brand on this earth that we do not get in India. Indians now know their true identity and are no longer longing for foreign brands like crazy. Indians have become flamboyant and have started to enjoy the rewards of hard work. The generation next is aware of all the new technological advances the country has made and it was heartening to find them using it for the betterment of India. I found few kids sending MMS with a picture of a road block and a traffic jam to a news channel in order to inform others. 

I felt a public mass movement almost a renaissance of sorts striving for a better quality of life. Services, be it public or private have become so much better. Though I found out that those have also become a bit dearer but no one seems to mind the price for the quality that is being provided. Buildings, cars, fuel, flyovers, roads, water, electricity, food products every major minor thing in life has experience a quality increment in India. The best part out was the attitude of the common man had changed form ‘Chalta hai’(anything will do) to ‘Only theek quality hi chalegi’(only the best will do). With that attitude I am pretty hopeful that we will become a superpower before it is theoretically projected.

Emotionally charged up after gathering lots of love and affection from my land I left for Copenhagen with a proud heart and a dream of rejoining my fellow countrymen on the path of being developed.

Vandemataram – 1876 September 7, a young man sitting in his home in Kanthalpura composed the patriotic song Vandemataram.  The song was written in highly sanskritized form of Bengali language and was part of his book Anandamatha. It seemed that Goddess Saraswati herself helped Bankim Chandra to write the song. The song touched the heart of millions at that time. It became the national cry for freedom from them.

It still infuses and touches our soul inside when it is sung. Watch again for passions to run high.

Watch and listen again.

Translation in English

Mother, I bow to thee!
Rich with thy hurrying streams,
bright with orchard gleams,
Cool with thy winds of delight,
Green fields waving Mother of might,
Mother free.

Glory of moonlight dreams,
Over thy branches and lordly streams,
Clad in thy blossoming trees,
Mother, giver of ease
Laughing low and sweet!
Mother I kiss thy feet,
Speaker sweet and low!
Mother, to thee I bow.

Who hath said thou art weak in thy lands
When the sword flesh out in the seventy million hands
And seventy million voices roar
Thy dreadful name from shore to shore?
With many strengths who art mighty and stored,
To thee I call Mother and Lord!
Though who savest, arise and save!
To her I cry who ever her foeman drove
Back from plain and Sea
And shook herself free.

Thou art wisdom, thou art law,
Thou art heart, our soul, our breath
Though art love divine, the awe
In our hearts that conquers death.
Thine the strength that nervs the arm,
Thine the beauty, thine the charm.
Every image made divine
In our temples is but thine.

Thou art Durga, Lady and Queen,
With her hands that strike and her
swords of sheen,
Thou art Lakshmi lotus-throned,
And the Muse a hundred-toned,
Pure and perfect without peer,
Mother lend thine ear,
Rich with thy hurrying streams,
Bright with thy orchard gleems,
Dark of hue O candid-fair

In thy soul, with jewelled hair
And thy glorious smile divine,
Loveliest of all earthly lands,
Showering wealth from well-stored hands!
Mother, mother mine!
Mother sweet, I bow to thee,
Mother great and free!