OUR TIRANGA , OUR PRIDE !

 One glance at our National Flag instantly fills us with joy and pride .It infuses us with patriotic fervour and with a deep-seated desire to be of some use to our great country. Just looking at it invokes in every proud Indian the loftiest and sublimest emotions of overpowering love and utmost regard for our beautiful country . We suddenly become aware that despite all limitations of a developing nation our country is The Best !

And indeed it is ! The exotically beautiful flaura and fauna  , our majestic mountains , our splendid rivers , our richly -cultivated agricultural fields that change their hues as per the season ,our  desert lands with their vibrant cultural ambience  together with our ever growing economy  makes us stand tall like a towering figure  in the midst of other giants!! Gratitude to The  Almighty is what we are filled with .Besides it makes us feel so blessed to be fortunate enough to be born in this land .
Our glorious past when India was known as the GOLDEN BIRD OF THE EAST and our recent past of our heroic FREEDOM STRUGGLE and finally our much - sought after Independence makes us swell with Pride !!
History tells us that it was Pingali Venkaiyya   a doctorate in geology and a diamond expert , born on 2nd August, 1876 and who was with Mahatma Gandhi in South Africa designed the National Flag using orange and green colours. This was in the year 1921. To this Lala Hunsraaj of Jalandhar added the symbol of Charkha and finally Gandhiji suggested that it could have a white panel too..
And thus our Tiranga came into being !!
The Tiranga which is emblematic of our dignity , integrity and glory  , of our solidarity  , our large-heaetedness  ,  our acculturation , our assimilation  , our  democracy and finally our much - propogated Unity in Diversity !
This year is a landmark year in the history of the nation as we complete and celebrate 75 years of our Freedom from the British yoke . However , rejoicing and celebrations are not enough .Just marking the day with events  ,cultural shows
and delivering fiery speeches revealing oratorial skills  are not enough......infact all this should act as a catalyst for all of us to be inspired and ignited with the zeal to serve the country .
Our parents , our ancestors   our forefathers  were witness to the humiliating bondage they were subjected to .
Freedom and the wish to be liberated from the ill treatment and servility  meted out to them was uppermost in their minds .
Swami Vivekanand ignited many young people to fight for Freedom. The slogan Vande Mataram and the poem written by novelist Bankim Chandra Chatterjee   in the 1870s  , declared as the National song of our country and first sung by Rabindranath Tagore in 1896 was very motivating for the general masses.
Rabindranath Tagore 's contribution in  writing  and composing  the National Anthem will always stand out.The polymath 's emotionally charged poem " Where the mind is without fear and the head is held high ....."written before Independence  , representing his vision of a new and awakened India was highly inspirational for every Indian to participate in the Freedom Movement.
Gandhiji's book Hind Swaraj written in 1909 in which he writes about home rule  and self government believed that the idea of Swaraj is about freedom and self control. He thus watered the already germinating seeds of liberation from the foreign rule that had started budding and flowering .

    The Mutiny of 1857 was one of the first major uprising of our countrymen . After that impactful revolt It took almost a year for us to convert our vision into reality.
The rest is history ...history that should never ever be forgotten,  that should remain alive and pulsating in every Indian----the history of the magnanimous and chivalrous  struggle for Freedom .
That was an amazing period ,  an electrifying era ,!!  . The entire country was infuriated and  every Indian was charged with the thought  of and was py  dreaming of freedom enthused with the zeal to Do or Die for the country's Independence . Several thousands and lacs of young  freedom fighters infused with this craving   lost their lives. Some  became heroes celebrated till date for their martyrdom. But the unsung heroes who got no recognition and who sacrificed their lives for their country were many in number.The entire country from North to South , East to West stood united for this One Cause  One Dream. This fervour was  just not restricted to the males  ---' women ,   young and old alike participated in this Movement , sharing the "lathis"that were barbarously flung across groups of agitators and rebels. Several were imprisoned   several convicted and sentenced to death   and several sacrificed everything including their entire families  for their country 's freedom!
It was an unprecedented Movement in the entire history of mankind proving what Unity and Determination  can achieve .
The cause has been fulfilled ,   the Dream has been realised .It is our duty now to not let down the sacrifices of our Freedom fighters , to uphold the traditions and culture we have always stood for and lastly to  repeatedly  narrate to our younger generation details about this mammoth fight for  Independence so that they can  pass it on to  Gen. Next  making them realise the value of  this hard- earned freedom and how they have to now shoulder the responsibility of making our nation  soar and shine  ! Our duty is to keep it alive so that it can inspire everyone born in this great country to  be filled with the fervour of serving their nation in whatever way they can. That would truly make every Indian citizen aware of this coveted Freedom  ,  to  value it and cherish it always.
That would be the greatest tribute for our martyrs!
     With the ongoing trend of exploring foreign shores for quality education , better professional prospects and a more wholesome life style it  would not be an exaggeration  in saying that  almost every  urban  Indian household today has members who are abroad  -- some studying , some serving and earning and some residing  there  as permanent citizens . What is common among them is that whichever part or corner  of the world they are this Induan Diaspora is without doubt and in their heart of hearts ,  proud Indians with deep regard and reverence for their Mother Country .....they have not and never will become oblivious of their roots ! That is being a true Bharatvasi  , a dignified Hindustani !
Our Tiranga therefore will always fly high with everyone singing with heads held high and in unison:
विजयी विश्व तिरंगा प्यारा   , झंडा ऊंचा रहे हमारा!
Vande Mataram !

A CONTEMPORARY CONVULSIVE TREND !

 Kaliyug is almost reaching its zenith ! At least that is the general feeling among Hindus who have grown up learning about the four yugas. But alas this fourth cycle , the age of sin and strife has completed just 5123 years with 426, 877 years before it is predicted to be finally over

These statistics have been stated by Wikipedia and are certainly not reassuring for the human race. Though it is we , Indians who believe in it , yet Kaliyug is a world-wide phenomenon considering the ongoing wars , duels , conspiracies and misdemeanours.
Social fabrics are falling apart, morals are at an all-time low , and there is  a sense of discontentment   disillusionment and disbelief that  prevails amongst the old , the young and even the new budding generation. 
Spiritual masters though encashing this distressed lot,  are constantly trying to spread good will providing valuable inputs of living life well and peacefully. Our age-old practice of "DHYAN" or meditation has become widely popular with a sizeable number of people across the globe practising it in the quest to derive some peace , solace and that ever elusive transient phase called happiness. Our masters are repeatedly drilling into us that we just need to be in the present , to live life fully each day and be happy with all that we have and are blessed with.
Yet its like everything is falling on deaf ears !!

Being a sexagenarian ( in my late sixties )when I go down memory lane and reminiscence about my innocent  childhood , the triflest things that brought a broad smile on our faces , our disciplined parents leading by example and thus becoming our role models  and the economical    prudent    uncomplicated life styles , I am compelled to think that probably half a century back Kaliyug was still in a nascent stage !
The exceptional pace of its upsurge and its burgeoning growth has made it evident that it is here to stay with us till Doomsday for that is where we are being led to. Well its all going as per our sages had predicted !
Hindu mythology   though full of exceptions is replete with ideal behavioural norms and morals
The great bard ,Tulsidas 's Ramcharitmanas which categorically states the filial duties and  responsibilities as well as talks of ideal behaviour which one should have towards parents , elders  ,  among brothers  , is like a gospel in every household esp in North India  ,  staunchly revered and  deified .  In other parts of this diverse nation other Gods are propitiated and other religious and sacred texts are followed . However  ,  the ideals and societal norms propogated are unfortunately losing their impact on the worshippers. We are becoming increasingly religious , almost fanatical to some extent  but not advancing spiritually .
Our ancient texts   The Vedas, The Puranas   The Upnishads   unfortunately not popularised or propogated among the masses are treatises on ethics . We have read and idolised  about Eklavya , Shrawan Kumar , Savitri  and Satyavaan   Dhruva and the likes  through the popular Panchatantra stories and the more fortunate ones through their grandma's tales but their context is lost to the contemporary new ideals and visions

What has gone amiss today despite our rich legacy ?Why have we started ignoring   disrespecting and becoming indifferent to it ? Many will have ready answers and solid arguments to these questions but that does not negate the denigrating , nose - diving ethical and abominable behavioural patterns of the present times.
We are an agitated dissatisfied lot today. Lust and avarice are uppermost in our minds
Wealth and all the ensuing  luxuries also fail to provide us that coveted peace of mind
Acquiring wealth is a symbol of success and highest achievement. And all of us are into this rat race. The ever - widening gap between pelf and penury is creating havoc .
      One of the many detrimental ,outrageous and uncouth unfortunately widely rampant feature is the use of expletives. This is prevalent among all ages  , cultures , languages and countries.
Abusive language is always used in rage , perturbation and anxiety . It releases all the harmful secretions possible in the body thus causing extreme damage to our bodies
What to talk of the damage done to the mind
for it is irreversible causing agony to the self and others . But that comes later .....the users feel that firstly the use  of abuses is cathartic for one vents out one' s irritation   irrascibility  and frustration easing them for a while and secondly the impact and thrust of communicating becomes more powerful with their use .
Using abusive and foul language is nothing new ....it was there in the past too. Only it was HEARD less .It was supposed to be blasphemous and lowly to use them .
        Going back to my reminiscences as I entered adulthood and was on the threshold of starting my career as a college  teacher I was aghast to hear these immodest expletives being used by young students also !!  I felt like admonishing them for their rude conduct but their jeering faces changed by earlier decision. That was shattering for me but then I too became thick- skinned and almost oblivious of this fast - growing and accepted mode of conversation.
I pondered and solaced myself thinking that a child is not born with such disrespectful codes of conduct....it is what they hear all around them , their own parents , elders  that makes them emulate their role models ....some even may not be knowing the actual meaning of these terms.
    A few decades back Using foul language was a prerogative and privelege of the males . It was and ofcourse is as if their rightful claim .
Elders never uttered bad words infront of their children or elders . It was supposed to be unmannerly and giving a bad example. 
The bad words used were then of a milder version too!!!
However  we  soon got rid of this ARCHAIC  inhibition so much so that  the female species became familiar with them and started using them brazenly to the extent that now they cannot talk whether it is in English or Hindi or any dialect for that matter without freely using these expletives irrespective to whosoever they are talking to ! And the expletives are the harshest most explosive  and  loathsome ones which are certainly very provocative too.
The fact is that it is just not that those in an inebriated state who are using it ....that ofcourse is their fundamental human right acceptable to all and sundry for they are supposedly not in their senses and have the sanction to behave as ignominously as possible everywhere ! What is hard- hitting is that it has found a strong place in the language of all and sundry and the irony is that we are all readily accepting and tolerating this rudeness which is in vogue now

Like booze abuses using expletives are what we all readily share and delight in !
So now there are no reservations --male , female , educated  , illiterate   , the rich and elite , the Impoverished and indigent ....this is one thing that UNITES us and that  we  all have in COMMON !!
The Media is playing a hazardous role in popularising this alarming trend ...be it cinema , Ott platforms or the Idiot Box .
But why accuse just the Media ? We are all equally responsible ! I think this can be most aptly described in our National language as " कलियुग की पराकाष्ठा " !!



Where are we heading to ? Why are we abandoning our values and morals ? What morals are we passing on to posterity ? And finally are we really joyful doing that ??
The answer despite all arguments is a Big No !
So what is the solution ?
We cannot change our external stimuli ...what we can consciously and conscientiously endeavour to do is to change ourselves .That will be in our own interest and for the welfare  of our  future generations .

Although we cannot imagine a return to a better age we can certainly improve our own selves for a better tomorrow ! Wishful thinking but hope we are able to realise it...the sooner the better !