An Indian perplexity...

One of the stories which puzzled me today was the Indian hullabaloo on a photograph of Sania Mirza relaxing with her feet placed adjacent to the Indian flag kept on a table. An Indian court issued a notice to her for “insulting” the national flag, for which she can be imprisoned for 3 years with fine. The thing which baffled me was not that Sania subconsciously insulted the National flag but that the Indian mindsets reprimand an Indian for being incautious in her demeanor to the outside world when being around the National flag. Indian National flag is a symbol for Indian spirit and freedom. I feel Sania should be reprimanded if she does not give her best at the Australian open as she would be the one who will damper and hence insult the Indian spirit.

I am much bemused by the citizens who allege and report these incidents. I am not sure whether they are aware of the problems being faced by India. Do they realize that that the problem of a citizen subconsciously insulting the National flag is the tip of an iceberg? I am more concerned on the facts that an average Indian consumes 1/23rd times energy than an average American in a day*, the per capita consumption of Petroleum products in India is 1/20th as compared to America*, the land and port based infrastructure in India is far behind in the world even if compared to the developing nations like Brazil*, there is near to 10% unemployment in the country, the country’s literacy rate is around 60% and by 2030 Indian population will pass China’s. And to make it even worse, we have one of the most challenging and largest corrupt democracy of the world. Aren’t these problems of any concern to the fellow citizens?

Aren’t these facts enough to awaken one to be perplexed with what real problems are? India requires $500 billion dollars of infrastructure investment over the coming 5 years – whether it is power generation, airports, land and ports infrastructure. Indian government needs to distribute the wealth generation so that we do not have a diverse stagnant economic positions, we need to decrease the illiteracy rate and think ways of employment generation.

India has just begun catching up with the other nations and it does not seem so far a route where into that freedom of heaven it will awake into (as envisioned by Rabindra Nath Tagore).

To all the fellow citizens who dare the Indian awakening, I quote...

“The woods are lovely, dark and deep,
But I have promises to keep,
And miles to go before I sleep,
And miles to go before I sleep.”

~ Robert Frost “Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening”

~ elkays
(*inputs from the Economic times, 7th January, 2008)