As a little boy I grew up learning that I cannot really call any place home. Not everyday do we have to think where we are from, cos it comes naturally... your parent's place, depending on the culture and the practice of your tribe - matriarchal or patriarchal. As I grew I wanted to join the army, and was pressed with a question - whose side do you take if India were to war Philippines? Now technically now when I think back I don't see any possibility of something like that happening but all the same today I don't think that way anymore. With all that's flooding the news.
Not too long ago people in the "mainland" wouldn't have known the difference between a person from Mizoram or from Assam. But today we all seem to be too aware of who is who and who is not. We also know the kind f people that will cheat us and the kinds that we must never trust. We know the ones who are sacrilegious and the ones who are fundamentalists... we even know who are not meant to be staying in their homes and who will be picking up arms. For crying out loud all they wanted was to pick up their harvest and fruits of their labour. But their already are people who decide who picks what weapon and the other set already knows what needs to be done with them.
I remember thinking about my childhood and how we all would say our national pledge... a pledge.
India is my country and all Indians are my brothers and sisters. I love my country and I am proud of its rich and varied heritage. I shall always strive to be worthy of it. I shall give my parents, teachers and all elders respect and treat everyone with courtesy. To my country and my people, I pledge my devotion. In their well being and prosperity alone, lies my happiness.
I sometime wonder how many of us know this as a pledge. Or for that matter our Preamble. Honestly, I as a child could have chosen to live in the Philippines and been a citizen. But growing up I chose India. Today I find myself sometimes asking why I did that. but really thats not taking me anywhere. What really is taking me anywhere is breathing every moment everyday. And some parts we have chosen to ignore the ones who have not been granted that right... THE RIGHT TO BREATHE...TO LIVE.
It never struck me that Identity is so important for people to survive. Without that, a purpose and a meaning to life is almost lost. When I stepped into Mumbai for work was in the middle of the agitation against people from Bihar and UP. I am from Bihar, but I am also from Kerala, I am also from Philippines, I am also from Tamil Nadu... and yet I'd be called a BHAIYA (It never bothered me cos in Bihar its used to show respect.) But what really struck me was when one day while a boy from the North Eastern states came home to renew a membership for me he told me about how he hated being called a "chinky"
He sat in front of me crying - "I am not from China, and I am called "chinky"." I didn't know what to do. I walked to my kitchen got him a bottle of water. He was a complete stranger and he breaks down in my flat. We spoke after that I had to tell him that I too am of multi-races. He looks up at me and says thats easy for me... but he is Indian and he is constantly being called a foreigner. I had to stay quiet, he just needed to vent it out. All this he spoke in impeccable Hindi, I tried to shift languages but he never once changed from Hindi.
Something had happened on the way to my flat, that made him break down.
How can we let something as fictional as IDENTITY decide who we are and our purpose in life? Our religion, our caste, our whereabouts, who we are... they are just categories made for people to rule us better. But that really and truly is not who we are. We talk of so much about the other people, their caste, their creed, their lifestyle, their everything... they are part of us. All we do is bring in more hate, negativity. Stop. Ask what are we doing about ourselves, we'll know what we are doing for our country. Our people. We don't need to stand in circles and discuss it, move in processions to oppose the machinery. We need to stop what we do and start to BREATHE...
our country celebrates today but a quiet reminder that our national identity is based on diverse identities, and to remove any one or to think otherwise will leave us handicapped... i am an optimist and believe we can still see ourselves as one. The strength is within and the will to make a difference is within. Lets not tear ourselves apart over identity
Not too long ago people in the "mainland" wouldn't have known the difference between a person from Mizoram or from Assam. But today we all seem to be too aware of who is who and who is not. We also know the kind f people that will cheat us and the kinds that we must never trust. We know the ones who are sacrilegious and the ones who are fundamentalists... we even know who are not meant to be staying in their homes and who will be picking up arms. For crying out loud all they wanted was to pick up their harvest and fruits of their labour. But their already are people who decide who picks what weapon and the other set already knows what needs to be done with them.
I remember thinking about my childhood and how we all would say our national pledge... a pledge.
I sometime wonder how many of us know this as a pledge. Or for that matter our Preamble. Honestly, I as a child could have chosen to live in the Philippines and been a citizen. But growing up I chose India. Today I find myself sometimes asking why I did that. but really thats not taking me anywhere. What really is taking me anywhere is breathing every moment everyday. And some parts we have chosen to ignore the ones who have not been granted that right... THE RIGHT TO BREATHE...TO LIVE.
It never struck me that Identity is so important for people to survive. Without that, a purpose and a meaning to life is almost lost. When I stepped into Mumbai for work was in the middle of the agitation against people from Bihar and UP. I am from Bihar, but I am also from Kerala, I am also from Philippines, I am also from Tamil Nadu... and yet I'd be called a BHAIYA (It never bothered me cos in Bihar its used to show respect.) But what really struck me was when one day while a boy from the North Eastern states came home to renew a membership for me he told me about how he hated being called a "chinky"
He sat in front of me crying - "I am not from China, and I am called "chinky"." I didn't know what to do. I walked to my kitchen got him a bottle of water. He was a complete stranger and he breaks down in my flat. We spoke after that I had to tell him that I too am of multi-races. He looks up at me and says thats easy for me... but he is Indian and he is constantly being called a foreigner. I had to stay quiet, he just needed to vent it out. All this he spoke in impeccable Hindi, I tried to shift languages but he never once changed from Hindi.
Something had happened on the way to my flat, that made him break down.
How can we let something as fictional as IDENTITY decide who we are and our purpose in life? Our religion, our caste, our whereabouts, who we are... they are just categories made for people to rule us better. But that really and truly is not who we are. We talk of so much about the other people, their caste, their creed, their lifestyle, their everything... they are part of us. All we do is bring in more hate, negativity. Stop. Ask what are we doing about ourselves, we'll know what we are doing for our country. Our people. We don't need to stand in circles and discuss it, move in processions to oppose the machinery. We need to stop what we do and start to BREATHE...
our country celebrates today but a quiet reminder that our national identity is based on diverse identities, and to remove any one or to think otherwise will leave us handicapped... i am an optimist and believe we can still see ourselves as one. The strength is within and the will to make a difference is within. Lets not tear ourselves apart over identity
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