Shashi Tharoor: Why nations should pursue "soft" power

A Proud Indian

I have been blogging (on & off) for a while now. Yeah ! I know  -- its been more 'off' than 'on' :) but then what I am trying to say is that I've been a part of the blog world since August 2006. It started off as an 'IN' thing to do back then and then slowly turned into my way of putting down thoughts that I didn't really talk about (Don't ask me why cause I Don't know). 

All this while have have never really cared about who was reading my blog or what it meant to them. I was aware that my wife read it every now and then & my Cousin's wife always asked me if I had posted something new...but that was all the viewership I was aware of and honestly the only two I actually took feedback or questions from. So I was pleasantly surprised when "Fighter Jet" Left a comment on my last post. 

Now....... under any other circumstances, I would have ignored his query....But this one is about my country and therefore I believe it requisites an answer. He asked, "why are you proud to be an Indian?"

My fundamentals on Patriotism go way back to my school days where I participated in declamation contest and started my speech with a quote from a poem by Sir Walter Scott

Breathes there the man with soul so dead, Who never to himself hath said,

 "This is my own, my native land!"

I don't remember anything else about that day, not even which class I was in or how well (or badly) I might have been with the rest of the speech. But this Quote has always been stuck in my head.

I believe that when it comes to the law of averages we Indians beat most other people as Happy people. (This is not a data driven analytical response but a heartfelt belief).

India is a 'Land of Hope & Survival' no matter what comes our way, we get on with life (sooner or later). 

India is a "Land of Jugad" - Got something difficult or impossible - give it to us, we'll find a way of getting it done (that we use the same skill to bypass the law is a different story altogether). We find a way to do or get done what we want. We are also very 'adjusting' which is why 'kindly adjust' is a colloquial term in most Indian Languages.

Moreover, I believe being proud ot be an Indian is my way of saying I love my country. Yes we have flaws - who doesn't ? We have bad politicians - which country doesn't? We have some BAD people around - So what ?

We even  have a LOT of GOOD People(including Politicians), Things & Places in our Country - They just don't make VERY Interesting or marketable News or Blog Posts :)

I will end this post with another Quote by Theodore Roosevelt:

"Patriotism means to stand by the country. It does not mean to stand by the president or any other public official, save exactly to the degree in which he himself stands by the country. It is patriotic to support him insofar as he efficiently serves the country. It is unpatriotic not to oppose him to the exact extent that by inefficiently or otherwise he fails in his duty to stand by the country. In either event, it is unpatriotic not to tell the truth, whether about the president or anyone else."

Divide and Rule

• Hindus...Muslims....Sikhs...Christians.....
• Upper Class....Lower Class....Backward Class....'Other' Backward Class....
• Upper Caste....Lower Caste....Scheduled Class....Scheduled tribes....
• South Indian.....North Indian.........
• Marathi 'Manus'...........Bihari 'Babu'.............UP 'ke Bhaiya'..........
• Literates........Illiterates..............

I grew up talking about and listening to people describing 'India' as the land of a variety. We were and continue to be an ensemble of cultures, religions, tribes, races, languages , dialects, lifestyles, architecture and a lot more.....These combinations made us unique and worthy of Awe.....

As kids we learnt that the Britishers ruled over us by using a divide and rule policy......Now after ALL these years I wonder if it was them or US who caused the divide & rule...........Our politicians have done a much better Job than the British could have ever imagined.

The combinations & variety amongst people of our country  - something we should be proud of is NOW the greatest topic for collecting votes............. and that scares me....

We live in a country today where being a convicted criminal with a prison record is worth putting on your resume if you want to 'serve the people'.

At this point I believe I should make it clear that I AM PROUD to be an Indian and Love my country. This write up is not because I am losing faith but more because I am concerned about the direction we as a country and as Indians are moving in. 

The recent events in Mangalore make me wonder....when Islamic extremists take violent steps to 'protect' their 'culture' and 'way of life' - we label them terrorists.......When Hindu extremists do something similar - we discuss 'Culture' on our 'news' channels............

Does your love for your religion & culture come above your love for humanity ?.......If it does - you must be from a different planet cause on planet earth - NO religion or culture that I have ever heard of teaches it.

Does your love for your language or state come above your love for your country & the pride of being an Indian ? -- I hope not.

I don't know 

if I am righteous.....

If I am on the right path..........

If I am cultured.....

If I follow ANY religion.......

I don't even know what the term 'GOD' really means to me.......

But I do know this........

I am a PROUD INDIAN & I believe in the religion called HUMANITY.

Growing Up....are we ?

"Do words change meaning as we grow older or do we just learn too many words to remember their true meaning?"

 The question keeps coming back into my head everyday as I watch Arhaan grow and notice the other kids around him.

Funny

Anything or anyone can be funny. It depends on 'your' mood not the 'quality' of the joke or the other persons 'sense of humour'.

Persistence/Risk

'Never give up' used to be a way of life not 'tried & tested (and failed)'. Everyone falls a LOT before they start walking, we still kept working on it till we walked and then ran..........Try learning something difficult now.

Risk is a part of life. So u'll get hurt.......lets try it anyway....Climb a chair....fall down....cry.......and when u are done crying.......:) TRY again.

Achievement & Pride

Every small achievement is worth celebrating. You don't need to wait for recognitions & rewards. Never need to wait for someone to tell you that you've been a 'good boy'......You know it and you don't have a problem telling others about it.

Love & Romance

Love doesn't need a commitment, or returns for that matter. Romance is a quiet & personal affair......again no returns, not even an acknoledgement is needed, no one needed to know and just the thought of the other person will make you smile.

Time to learn from the kids..........Have you ever realized that kids are more observant & respectful of people around them than most adults. They actually smile at 'street vendors' & even acknowledge the beggars at traffic signals with a grin......... 

"The Child is the father of the Man" isn't that what William Wordsworth wrote.........never really understood it.............but I think I am begining to get the idea now..................I am Growing Up all over again.

Be Born Every Morning

Heard a new analogy today...."we should live everyday like an entire life". Made me think about how my son (or any kid for that matter) spends their entire day and wonder if we 'grown ups' could at least start our day that way.

Be born every morning.....

Allow your mind to start each day anew.

Don't let troubles/issues of yesterday linger on.

Don't be worried about what you will do when you are grown up (later in the day).

Allow yourself to enjoy and find pleasure in every activity around you.....even breakfast time can be fun.

You are gonna LIVE the day....Don't rush it.

Grow up into the day......

Face you responsibilities.

Do what you want to :)

Work hard.

Plan for the future (later half of the day) & how what you do NOW will impact it.

Work towards what you want your future (evening) to be like.

Go through the 'mid-life' crisis during mid day.......

Live the unsure period.

Will you make it ?

Are you on the right track ?

Do you have to be doing what you are doing ?

Die everynight.....

Nothing you earned, learnt, bought or owned during the day, matters when you sleep.

Die (sleep) in peace.

You are dead (asleep) so things that 'didn't get done' or 'didnt work out' during the day dont't matter.

If you want to lookback (or reflect) on your life (that day)...think about what you accomplished, Things you managed to do. Don't worry about tomorrow you are dead (you can't do much about tomorrow while you are sleeping so why bother the mind with those thoughts).

Be Born Again :)