Hello India! What have you done for me?

Desh hamare liye kya kiya yeh mat poochna! Aapko yeh poochna chahiye (hamesha) aap ne desh ke liye kya kiya? Ask not what the country had done for you? Ask what you have done for the country? The above two statements – one in Devanagari and the other in English are very emotive statements. When read, it generates some unknown marvellous stirring emotion in the soul. That’s the way those two statements are designed. Motherland, be proud of your motherland, desh bhakti – patriotism, all these will automatically follow from those two statements.

I felt elated, as a child, reading them. I remember my class 8 teacher gave this very topic for essay writing. He asked the entire class to write an essay. I think it was during the Independence Day  celebrations our teacher had asked us to write. After finishing the essay every student of our class felt bright, eyes wider with enthusiasm and chest bloated – such was the power of those statements; such was the emotional connect; and our teacher struck the right chord in stirring those emotions. Thank you sir, wherever you are.

Today I question – why I should not ask what the country has done for me. Why the hell should I always ask what I have done for the country? Why are we prohibited from asking – what the country has done for me? Yes…I am born in this country. It was not my choice. It was neither my parent’s choice. It was a freak accident I was born here. If I were given the choice, probably I would have chosen to be born in New Zealand, or in Finland, or in Russia than India or probably I may have chosen not to be born at all. Let alone what my parents did… my birth in India was an accident.

It was a unique work of nature that I was born here. We have a welfare government…people oriented government and a lot more. From the day I was born, I am taught not to ask what the country has done for me. Methodically brainwashed to ask what I have done for the country? If country has done something for me, I will do something for the country. Did it give me education? Here the word ‘me’ represents the masses. Did it give safe roads? Did it give one square meal a day? Did it give a shade over the head – house? What has it given? I was told I was born as a human being; I have human rights. I feel today that though I am born human, my existence is worse than that of an animal. I have nothing. On the contrary, I am consistently told to ask what I have done for the country? Wow! What a masterstroke. A beautiful way of escaping responsibilities towards the people.

I disagree with due regards with each of you who are reading this. In response to the two statements in Devanagari as well as in English, I not only ask but also will teach the posterity to ask – What the country has done for me? No job, no food, no water, no electricity, no clothing, no safe road. Oh god! The list is endless. If the country does something for me, I will in turn do something for the country. Therefore, I conclude by asking “Hello India! What have you done for me?”

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