"At the stroke of the midnight hour, when the world sleeps, India will awake to life and freedom. A moment comes, which comes but rarely in history, when we step out from the old to the new…India discovers herself again."
- Jawaharlal Nehru(on Indian Independence Day, 1947)
Today is India’s 60th independent year, Happy Independence Day to all fellow Desis!
Well, I was thinking what it means to me- Does it make any difference? And I was pleasantly surprised to note that I have become more patriotic than ever before. It’s not because it’s the 60th year; but the reason is my current so-called NRI status…
Yeah, I will have to admit that I had become indifferent to India’s struggle or progress during the last few years. After the high school days, the only times I was reminded of the ‘country’ per say was: when we had to stand for the national anthem before a movie started in a Mumbai multiplex.
Things have undergone a complete alteration after coming to United States last year. Now, India, its progress and its events are in our minds almost 24 hours a day. I believe it is so because of our broadened perspectives. And how have we changed?
- I had never checked rediff.com for news when I was in India, now that’s a daily routine. I am keeping track of what is happening in India everyday through various websites. It makes me feel closer to my country.
- We even know what is happening to Bollywood and its celebrities. When Shahrukh Khan says something odd about Amitabh Bacchan, I am well-informed about that. And oh yeah, I followed Ash-Abhishek wedding to the ‘A’, so much so that I feel I have attended it!
I never used to watch every Hindi movie released when I was in India; here, that has become a weekly ritual. - Back in India during Ulka days, I was so engrossed in my work life that I had no time to stand and stare…Now I am a volunteer for Non-profit Indian organization and am trying to make a difference to some lives in India.
- Whenever India or Indians achieve something, we are the first one to rejoice. It makes me feel really proud of our country. And there is a hope that one day, when we return back to India, it would be a much better place to live…
- I know more about various rituals, festivals of India and the reasons for the celebrations now. I read Geeta to know more about Hindu religion. The high school lessons in history and geography were a blur when I came here. So, I also read various books to understand our country, its history and its struggle in depth.
