Are you proud of your country ?

Sometime back I got indulged into a group of friends on a rendezvous, a topic which needs a close watch and attention; Guess Wot? “Are you proud of your country?” I was petrified and tad numb, because I know I might get hurt, so I refrained from the entourage. This topic apparently is heavy and leads us into oodles of controversies and reprehension. But, If you ask me the same question, I rather be pragmatic and reply “Yes, I am, not because we won the World cup cricket 2011”.

What exactly makes you proud of your country? Is it when we beats Australia in the cricket? Or is it when your favourite political organization comes into power? ??

We had produced and gifted gazillion of artefacts to the world. We introduced methods of good life like Yoga, Ayurveda, Tantra, naturopathy…Etc into the world. We are one of the fastest developing countries with a whopping outsourcing and bullish economy. Our country has a history of phenomenal civilization, magnificent architectural structures and religious sanctuaries. Greatest legends of the histories in the fields of politics, spirituality, arts, science and economics walked on our country. Birth place for the greatest spiritual masters who taught and served the whole humanity about the absolute truths of life. The only diversified country in the world with hundreds of languages, religions/castes, festivals, political organizations, colours, customs and cultural values. We have super speciality hospitals serving the poor with absolutely no charges. We have advanced technologies both in medical and military, higher education, 33% women representation in the parliament, the IT hub of Asia and lots more to be proud of.

But ironically, How far our system (government, organizations & individuals) has succeeded in sustaining the riches of our culture? Our progress has been slowed a bit by the sublime attacks and manifold indifferences. We are inflamed, influenced and indulged by the whirlwind of corrupt bureaucracy, communal riots, skyrocketing crime rates, gender and racial discrimination, foes between states, fight for rivers and resources, terrorism, human trafficking ….an unwinding lists.

We assassinated the father of our nation and many great leaders. We killed assaulted, spearheaded and engineered violence in the streets. Are the tourists safe? We have news of tourists being raped or murdered and how the crippled system let the culprits go uncharged and later those stories goes oblivion. An excerpts from an article I read recently: “she tries to hide the injury on her head with her sari as she describes how she and four other village women, mostly widows were beaten, paraded naked and forced to eat excreta. There were at least 10K villagers watching when these women were beaten up “

Are our children’s, sisters or mothers safe in the roads or the streets? Our security system is in stake, lapses in the system have invited 26/11 and parliament attacks and so on. How about our infrastructure and its associated components like traffic, roads and railways? How advanced and accessible is our health care system? How far our education system has expanded? Is every child of this country accessible to basic education? How about the child mortality rate, child nourishment, girl child discrimination?

I have read comments like “We would have become an Africa if British have not invaded us”. Pre British invasion, the power was vested with the Rajs, Kings or provinces which fought regularly for their personal benefits, a fugitive version of civil wars in Africa. Apparently British invasion was a cause to unite/regroup the entire provinces. Ironically the we raged a massive strike by Mahatma Gandhi and his entourage against them which led to their exit from our country.

In spite of doing nothing and being proud, we can be a good citizen who can resourcefully enjoys the luxury of fundamental rights and treat everyone as equals (We have the habit of treating people based on their positions/levels). Let’s join force with amity to preserve/conserve our resources like rivers, forests, hills, mines, wild life, boundaries and magnificent structures. Spread, share and educate everyone about our cultural values, assets and civilization. Let’s prevent crimes to take over the streets through awareness. Refrain from dumping thrashes into the streets and let’s make our cities a “Green and clean city”. Let’s follow the queue, discipline in the roads, avoid rash driving and violating signals, unnecessary honks, drunken and underage driving and finally drive responsibly. Treat all the religions and castes as equal. Refrain from destroying public properties like offices, bus and trains. Say “Goodbye” to unproductive strikes and protests. Make sure to clean the streets after the Diwali or any celebrations which leaves lots of wastes. Pay taxes and refrain from illegal investments and benefits. Finally, we can earn respect only when we give respect.

Remember, the actual power is vested with individuals / citizens of this nation and let’s joins hands with government to build a graceful paradise. Present and Future of our country is within the control of us and lets preserve our Past, lets hold our hands together and work hard for a better and smarter country blushing with love, serenity and sacredness.

Gandhi said “Work is worship”...

Narrowing the road to Taj Mahal

The Taj Mahal, a UNESCO world heritage site and one of the Wonders of the World. Visiting Taj Mahal is the dream of the millions across the globe, known for its visual assault, architectural glory, engineering magnificence (placing integrated structures in a most fascinating way). By history, it is a symbol of love, a sheer dedication of a Mughal emperor Shah Jehan to his beloved third wife Mumtaz, who died giving birth to their 14^th child. Careful study portrays the dark edges of Taj Mahal’s history and the declining charisma due to the pollution and other environmental elements. Ironically, the volume of people visiting Taj Mahal has increased tremendously, which clearly indicates the profoundness and cultural influences, a proud product of Mughal dynasty for the Indian subcontinent and humanity.

On to the road track, my families including the visiting Brazilian family and my parents along with my brother (Janks) and his wife (Divz) took a road trip to this historical location on 02/03/2011. We started our journey around 6:30am from Delhi; it was 5 hours on road to Agra, where Taj Mahal is located. The journey was loaded with fabulous entertainments, like riding on the camel, handshake with the Cobra, encounter with monkeys, heavily packed auto rickshaws, vivid colours and the wildest road side attractions of India. The motorist kept honking throughout the trip which gave us no peace. Around noon we reached Agra, which was unbelievably packed and we stepped Taj Mahal entrance around 11:45am. Agra still maintains the touch of Mughal architecture. We got the tickets, 20Rs for Indians and 750Rs for non-Indians and free entry for children under the age of 15.

Finally, we had the first glance of stunning Taj Mahal in its colossal arcade, a connoisseur work of brilliant artisans, magnanimous overflow of creativity, vision of a grief stricken emperor and victory for triumphant artists. The first glimpse had tears walked through my eyes, hair rising experience and breathtaking travel back to the history. At a distance Taj Mahal looked in a vivid prominence and its image sketched clearly in the pool narrowed between the walkways. It is brilliantly engineered and the tomb is surrounded by other architectural wonders like Darwaza-i rauza (the great gate), mosque (masjid), spectacular gardens and fountains. The vast gardens are bustling and buzzing with flowers and bees. The walkways are finely paved with designer tiles. Walking towards the Taj Mahal gave a gigantic white stone kissing the blue sky.

The first thing scratches the human celluloid will be posing for a picture with Taj behind. Off course we ran enthusiastically capturing pictures of the families very well fitting with the frame of Taj. We had postures of standing, sitting, lying, jumping, cross legged and Padmasana (Lotus posture). We even hired a photographer to capture some stunning pictures. The crowd was massive which sometimes tampered our photo shots, some heads and arms flashed in some of the pictures. Sometimes we need to stay in a queue to get Taj behind. My camera produced an approximate 400 pictures of Taj with my family members. The inside of the tomb was dark with the minaret works at its best and the crowd throbbed inside second. Behind the Taj is the famous tributary of river Ganges, Yamuna and its beauty has its own unique significance. Over the centuries it has served the vital needs of Taj and its surroundings. Capturing the Taj from the banks of Yamuna is always my dream, but left it for the next time due to time constraints.

The whole environment is a design of God, a piece which cannot be put on words, something for the naked eyes to snap it. The man is bestowed with a powerful gift of ideas and execution. A five hundred year old monument is standing proud for India and for the whole humanity, a confession of creativity into action. The trip was a blessing, learning and togetherness. Both the families enjoyed and absorbed the historical contents. I recommend a whole day encounter with Taj, keep up the high spirits and enjoy.