Basic Instinct, ours

Medievial and traditional Bharat was awe-inspiring in many ways. But is the Modern India anything to be proud of ? Development has come, but with a plethora of undesirable accompaniments.

Today we are saddled with vexatious problems of pervasive poverty, crippling corruption, exploding population, horrific female oppression, pitiful malnutrition, religious bigotry, garbage stockpiling, overwhelming illiteracy, rotten politics, environmental degradation, unsatisfactory sanitation, unbridled pollution,  widespread unemployment, poor infrastructure, besides a skewed  education system, among many others.

Some leave the country, wondering whether it is fit to live, since its a picture of cow-dung heaps, despicable politicians (both largely synonymous), mosquitoes and dirt, besides being largely unsafe for women (who are either worshipped or whipped).   So how does this weird country still manage to survive, and stay afloat?

Firstly, one feels,  the Nation refuses to be bogged down, come what may. Even after 89 years of British Raj, servitude was never accepted. Call it Strength, stubborn-ness, attitudinal-delusion or a ‘bounce back spirit’, India tried and got up every time. Invaders have been ravaging and looting us from times immemorial, but we have literally risen from the ashes, after being re-devastated and re-slaughtered. We simply refuse to let our ship sink.

Secondly, we believe in Believing, and one of our major life support systems is worship. We hold on to Prayer as our ultimate source of help. Name it reverence, faith  or ‘aastha”, most Indians, irrespective of religion, try and remember the Lord daily. In one way or another. The Hindu scriptures lay claim to about 330 million gods. Worship is just a way of life here, irrespective of the faith or accrual of benefits. What option does the Lord have, really, than to take care of our ship ? 

Thirdly, we live, by being Human. We are bothered about others feelings and condition. We are not “westernised” enough to be unemotional, purely mercenary, supremely practical or heartless. We go by Winston Churchill’s views : "We make a living by what we get, but we make a life, by what we Give." We love Giving. And in finding the good of others, we find our own.

Fourthly, we do not qualify as world-beaters in any sphere, except taking a Thrashing! Umpteen times, we may be beaten fair and square, but losers in spirit, we are not. Beaten black and blue, and smashed to pulp, we may be, but the only motto we have learnt is “Never, never, ever give up.” We invariably stand up, to fight the next battle. And possibly lose that one too!

Lastly, we may be a diverse scattered country of 29 states with 22 major languages, 13 different scripts, and over 720 dialects. But somewhere, in the midst of our diversity, our plight, problems, and penury, we become as One. Maybe because of the Basic Instinct of being Indian…which we love…. and that keeps us afloat.