Still going strong

Tomorrow is the Independence day of our great nation, and I can say that things look brighter today than they ever did. Only on the economic front that is. A red alert has been sounded in all big cities and security is particularly tight in Delhi and Mumbai, for very obvious reasons. The people who represent the governments of these cities don't really know, or don't really want to protect themselves.

While India still stands strong and together, our patience and benign attitude has been tested almost every day. Our enemies try to hurt us, and today, more importantly, they are recruiting their legions from within our own walls. That is an alarming situation that needs to be dealt with without further delay, but the big question is that who will do that?

It sucks that the quality of leadership has been on a downward spiral ever since we won our independence. From having quality leaders like Sardar Patel, Dr. Ambedkar, Pandit Nehru (no matter how much I now think his policies made no sense), and right into our independent India. The last decade and this has seen some quality leadership too, but Indian politics, as it stands today, is given to the rigors and demands of coalition politics, and these demands do not necessarily match the demands of the nation.

Meanwhile, the violence continues unabated in J&K. Every year it is the same story of innocent deaths in different parts of the state, in a message to the government of India that the terrorists will not let these people lead a normal life, but a life that is Jihadized and steeped in the ideology of Pakistan, i.e. Muslims can't live with any other religion, Hindus in particular.

Despite my optimism, I can honestly say that our country seems weaker today that it ever was. We are taking a beating domestically. The problems in the north-east and the north are still there, but now we can add the naxal problem and the threat of our enemies seeping through our society, recruiting Indians who will act against their own country, while our politicians will prefer to look the other way. But here is an opportunity for us to remind ourselves of our allegience, remind ourselves that the tricolor still stands strong and that these enemies won't matter if we can put our hearts and minds together and work towards a better, more secure future for us and for our children.