Well, yes, I am an NRI. People might say I have no right to say what's wrong with my country and how we should improve things, since I took off at the first opportunity I had. Yes, I am not there to make the difference and I am not there to feel the pain. But is this all entirely true? NO.
To draw an analogy, consider this. Fifteen years from now, my children will probably leave my home and go to stay somewhere else for their studies/job etc. I will not be physically with them to share their joys and pains. But that wouldn't stop me from being there emotionally. I will be supporting them in everything to the best of my abilities. I will pray for them every day. And above all, I will feel all their emotions just like I do today. And they will always know that I am there for them whenever they need me.
I know there are so many things wrong with my country. There is corruption, there is dishonesty, lawlessness, crimes...the list is very long. But then, on the other hand, there is goodness too. In my life, I have encountered several little incidents which established my faith in the system, or in the people. I have experienced those touching moments when I thanked God for being there for me, in the form of another human being. But those are tidbits of my life. If we see on a bigger scale, there are noble people, honest officers (government and private sector). There are big names and then, there are those names, whose good acts get lost on the 3rd or the 4th page of a news daily. There are those who lay their lives for the dignity of a woman; there are those who give shelter and care for the homeless; there are those who make it easy for a person to rebuild their life after a traumatic experience and there are those who do things directly for the country (like soldiers, scientists etc).
And such mix of good and bad will always be there in any country, anywhere in the world. Just because my motherland has some flaws, I should not hate it. I still love my country, despite all the bad things there, it is still my home. I will draw the analogy again. My children, my parents, my siblings, my friends and my relatives also have flaws but that doesn't mean I love them less. I love them nonetheless. Similarly, I love India, even with its flaws. And I think it is as much my responsibility as a right to do something about those flaws. The only reason things have not improved greatly in my country is because we take respite in inaction, in complaining, in discussing about those "bad" things. How many of us actually turn our words into actions and how much are we ready to put at stake for getting the country rid of those flaws? I included, the citizens of any country are responsible for the way it is. Though I agree that if everyone in the governing bodies did what they were supposed to do, even to 60-70% extent of their capabilities, India would be a great country. I agree that in a perfect world, India would be a developed nation after six decades of its independence from the British rule. I also agree that the government and the dignitaries/leaders of the society are not doing their bit. But one thing I do not agree with is that they are solely responsible for what is happening in my nation. For the starter, who chose them to come in power? Who re-chose them even after they showed their real colors? Who gave them an impression that the common man of this country is an impotent person, incapable of fighting for his own rights? Who made them invincible?
OK, may be not every single person is responsible for all that is wrong, but as a society, as a people of a nation, we all have to take the onus - of the way things are and of the way things should be. Until we do so, we should not be talking only negative things about our country. Until we intend to make the things right, in every small way we can, we do not have any right to complain about every single thing! Imagine if Mother Teresa, Gandhiji, Abdul Kalam or Anna thought like us and just sat there complaining....what would India turn out to be?
There is so much more I can write on this topic, there is so much more I have inside me but then, who am I to comment? What did I really do for my country? I am a bloody NRI!
To draw an analogy, consider this. Fifteen years from now, my children will probably leave my home and go to stay somewhere else for their studies/job etc. I will not be physically with them to share their joys and pains. But that wouldn't stop me from being there emotionally. I will be supporting them in everything to the best of my abilities. I will pray for them every day. And above all, I will feel all their emotions just like I do today. And they will always know that I am there for them whenever they need me.
I know there are so many things wrong with my country. There is corruption, there is dishonesty, lawlessness, crimes...the list is very long. But then, on the other hand, there is goodness too. In my life, I have encountered several little incidents which established my faith in the system, or in the people. I have experienced those touching moments when I thanked God for being there for me, in the form of another human being. But those are tidbits of my life. If we see on a bigger scale, there are noble people, honest officers (government and private sector). There are big names and then, there are those names, whose good acts get lost on the 3rd or the 4th page of a news daily. There are those who lay their lives for the dignity of a woman; there are those who give shelter and care for the homeless; there are those who make it easy for a person to rebuild their life after a traumatic experience and there are those who do things directly for the country (like soldiers, scientists etc).
And such mix of good and bad will always be there in any country, anywhere in the world. Just because my motherland has some flaws, I should not hate it. I still love my country, despite all the bad things there, it is still my home. I will draw the analogy again. My children, my parents, my siblings, my friends and my relatives also have flaws but that doesn't mean I love them less. I love them nonetheless. Similarly, I love India, even with its flaws. And I think it is as much my responsibility as a right to do something about those flaws. The only reason things have not improved greatly in my country is because we take respite in inaction, in complaining, in discussing about those "bad" things. How many of us actually turn our words into actions and how much are we ready to put at stake for getting the country rid of those flaws? I included, the citizens of any country are responsible for the way it is. Though I agree that if everyone in the governing bodies did what they were supposed to do, even to 60-70% extent of their capabilities, India would be a great country. I agree that in a perfect world, India would be a developed nation after six decades of its independence from the British rule. I also agree that the government and the dignitaries/leaders of the society are not doing their bit. But one thing I do not agree with is that they are solely responsible for what is happening in my nation. For the starter, who chose them to come in power? Who re-chose them even after they showed their real colors? Who gave them an impression that the common man of this country is an impotent person, incapable of fighting for his own rights? Who made them invincible?
OK, may be not every single person is responsible for all that is wrong, but as a society, as a people of a nation, we all have to take the onus - of the way things are and of the way things should be. Until we do so, we should not be talking only negative things about our country. Until we intend to make the things right, in every small way we can, we do not have any right to complain about every single thing! Imagine if Mother Teresa, Gandhiji, Abdul Kalam or Anna thought like us and just sat there complaining....what would India turn out to be?
There is so much more I can write on this topic, there is so much more I have inside me but then, who am I to comment? What did I really do for my country? I am a bloody NRI!
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