Why I love India?
Ever since I remember, I have always been in love with India. I remember as a child seeing a serial on national television called “Kahan Gaye Who log” with a lump in my throat and tears in my eyes. I always knew that somehow I always loved India more than anything else in the world and it was more than just the fact that I was born here. The same love drove me join the National Defense Academy right after school. Even after I left the armed forces due to an injury; the question still remained, why I love India? I never quite got an answer, till now…
In the last 5 years ever since I left my corporate career in the U.S. and returned to India to teach underprivileged children as a Teach for India fellow; my understanding of my love for my own country has grown tremendously. As a teacher, I got a chance to re-read texts reminding me of the history, geography, culture and the basic values on which this nation was formed, which I had somehow forgotten over the years. It also gave me a chance to reconnect with my childhood and see things the way they are, without any bias or prejudice. A child sees through the good and the bad inside a person with complete honesty, similarly, I as a teacher started seeing why I loved my country through the lens of my classrooms.
A classroom in India typically reflects all that is good and bad in our society. Since today I am writing about, why I love India, I will refrain my writing to discuss the reasons why the idea of India needs to be loved and protected.
My love for my country starts with the first page of any History and Civics textbook that has the preamble to our constitution stating;
“We, the people of India, having solemnly resolved to constitute India into a sovereign socialist secular democratic republic and to secure to all its citizens: justice, social, economic and political; liberty, of thought, expression, belief, faith and worship; equality of status and of opportunity; and to promote among them all fraternity assuring the dignity of the individual and the unity and integrity of the nation; in our constituent assembly this twenty-sixth day of November, 1949, do hereby adopt, enact and give to ourselves this constitution”
The preamble reminds me of the audacity of the dream that is India. An audacious dream that our forefathers saw in 1947, when they dreamt of democracy in a largely illiterate country where most of the citizens lived below the poverty line. They dreamt of a country where a Dalit’s voice counted for as much as a Brahmin’s voice when untouchability was rampant in Indian society. They dreamt of universal adult franchise when the popular belief was that only the educated and the rich can make the laws governing a country and above all they dreamt of a united and secular India when the world predicted that India will soon implode post independence as it was not “One” country and the nation had just suffered a bloody partition on the belief that people of different religions can never live together. In the face of it all, India was created, a beautiful experiment in pluralism, democratic values, tolerance, secularism, peace and above all faith in all that is good and upholds humanity across the world. It is this idea of India that makes me share my views with the world not as a xenophobic but as a humble citizen who believes that the idea of India is not just about India but is relevant to the entire world.
As I remember my classroom in Pune, I recall Sahil sitting next to Faiyaz, both arguing vehemently with me on the topic “What is God” and both of them discussing together and coming up with common points, never once thinking that their gods could be different! A smile dances on my lips as there could be no better answer to the people who believed that Sahil’s god is different from Faiyaz’s god.
I also remember my classroom in “Ummeed” which was a home for street children and children in conflict with law. I remember the day when we held the first elections in Ummeed to form the children committees to run the homes, everything from finance to entertainment, with 100% voter turnout. As I recall those memories, a sense of calm descends over me knowing that democracy is now so well rooted in India that in the most populous state of India with majority of upper castes, a Dalit woman becomes the chief minister with support from Brahmins! Till very recently, we had a unique case where our Prime Minster was a Sikh, our leader of opposition a Hindu, our President a Muslim and the leader of the ruling party a Christian! Also till about 6 months back, the leaders of both the opposition and ruling parties in the house of people were both women and now they have exchanged roles with one being India's foreign minister and the other being the leader of the largest opposition party. We have more than 20 lakh elected members in our country making us the most representative democracy in the world. This knowledge gives me hope that India and Indians have the capacity to resolve their differences through dialogue and democracy as is evident through the rising voter turnout in states like Kashmir, Manipur etc.
As I taught history to my class 9th students, I was also reminded of the fact that we are the only country in the world which since time immemorial has spread its message through peace and not by war. Indian armies have never invaded far off lands and in fact this land had the great capacity to absorb all invaders and make them her own. We are the only nation who won their freedom not by barrel of a gun but by sheer human will. History also reminds me of the mistakes we have made and battles we have fought among ourselves over places of worship but then again my heart sores when I remember that very recently, the supreme court of the land deliberated over matters of god and god men, delivered a verdict over and above written law invoking the secularism inherent in our constitution and more than a billion faithful were all dissatisfied with the judgment. Disgruntled they all decided to again challenge the verdict on god in the court of law!
As my students from the most underprivileged backgrounds set foot in the most elite schools, I again felt that my country had made the right choice and our belief in equality had been restored. As the era of personalities ended in politics and gave way to era of identities, while others saw chaos, I saw evolution and as now we move from era of identities to era of development, I again see progress instead of depression in the debates on growth. As youth march on the street, while others see weakening of democracy, I see strengthening of it, as no tanks were deployed to curb the protests and the youth and the middle class, earlier disengaged, now vows to engage in the democratic process. That can only be good for my country.
As I head for another essay in another classroom in rural U.P., I am filled with hope that I can teach my students that the idea of India is worth a lifetime, as if I am able to teach my students the idea of India then I will also be able to teach them the idea of tolerance, pluralism, secularism, justice, equality, democracy and peace. In a nutshell the idea of India deserves to be celebrated as it the idea of humanism itself!
Ever since I remember, I have always been in love with India. I remember as a child seeing a serial on national television called “Kahan Gaye Who log” with a lump in my throat and tears in my eyes. I always knew that somehow I always loved India more than anything else in the world and it was more than just the fact that I was born here. The same love drove me join the National Defense Academy right after school. Even after I left the armed forces due to an injury; the question still remained, why I love India? I never quite got an answer, till now…
In the last 5 years ever since I left my corporate career in the U.S. and returned to India to teach underprivileged children as a Teach for India fellow; my understanding of my love for my own country has grown tremendously. As a teacher, I got a chance to re-read texts reminding me of the history, geography, culture and the basic values on which this nation was formed, which I had somehow forgotten over the years. It also gave me a chance to reconnect with my childhood and see things the way they are, without any bias or prejudice. A child sees through the good and the bad inside a person with complete honesty, similarly, I as a teacher started seeing why I loved my country through the lens of my classrooms.
A classroom in India typically reflects all that is good and bad in our society. Since today I am writing about, why I love India, I will refrain my writing to discuss the reasons why the idea of India needs to be loved and protected.
My love for my country starts with the first page of any History and Civics textbook that has the preamble to our constitution stating;
“We, the people of India, having solemnly resolved to constitute India into a sovereign socialist secular democratic republic and to secure to all its citizens: justice, social, economic and political; liberty, of thought, expression, belief, faith and worship; equality of status and of opportunity; and to promote among them all fraternity assuring the dignity of the individual and the unity and integrity of the nation; in our constituent assembly this twenty-sixth day of November, 1949, do hereby adopt, enact and give to ourselves this constitution”
The preamble reminds me of the audacity of the dream that is India. An audacious dream that our forefathers saw in 1947, when they dreamt of democracy in a largely illiterate country where most of the citizens lived below the poverty line. They dreamt of a country where a Dalit’s voice counted for as much as a Brahmin’s voice when untouchability was rampant in Indian society. They dreamt of universal adult franchise when the popular belief was that only the educated and the rich can make the laws governing a country and above all they dreamt of a united and secular India when the world predicted that India will soon implode post independence as it was not “One” country and the nation had just suffered a bloody partition on the belief that people of different religions can never live together. In the face of it all, India was created, a beautiful experiment in pluralism, democratic values, tolerance, secularism, peace and above all faith in all that is good and upholds humanity across the world. It is this idea of India that makes me share my views with the world not as a xenophobic but as a humble citizen who believes that the idea of India is not just about India but is relevant to the entire world.
As I remember my classroom in Pune, I recall Sahil sitting next to Faiyaz, both arguing vehemently with me on the topic “What is God” and both of them discussing together and coming up with common points, never once thinking that their gods could be different! A smile dances on my lips as there could be no better answer to the people who believed that Sahil’s god is different from Faiyaz’s god.
I also remember my classroom in “Ummeed” which was a home for street children and children in conflict with law. I remember the day when we held the first elections in Ummeed to form the children committees to run the homes, everything from finance to entertainment, with 100% voter turnout. As I recall those memories, a sense of calm descends over me knowing that democracy is now so well rooted in India that in the most populous state of India with majority of upper castes, a Dalit woman becomes the chief minister with support from Brahmins! Till very recently, we had a unique case where our Prime Minster was a Sikh, our leader of opposition a Hindu, our President a Muslim and the leader of the ruling party a Christian! Also till about 6 months back, the leaders of both the opposition and ruling parties in the house of people were both women and now they have exchanged roles with one being India's foreign minister and the other being the leader of the largest opposition party. We have more than 20 lakh elected members in our country making us the most representative democracy in the world. This knowledge gives me hope that India and Indians have the capacity to resolve their differences through dialogue and democracy as is evident through the rising voter turnout in states like Kashmir, Manipur etc.
As I taught history to my class 9th students, I was also reminded of the fact that we are the only country in the world which since time immemorial has spread its message through peace and not by war. Indian armies have never invaded far off lands and in fact this land had the great capacity to absorb all invaders and make them her own. We are the only nation who won their freedom not by barrel of a gun but by sheer human will. History also reminds me of the mistakes we have made and battles we have fought among ourselves over places of worship but then again my heart sores when I remember that very recently, the supreme court of the land deliberated over matters of god and god men, delivered a verdict over and above written law invoking the secularism inherent in our constitution and more than a billion faithful were all dissatisfied with the judgment. Disgruntled they all decided to again challenge the verdict on god in the court of law!
As my students from the most underprivileged backgrounds set foot in the most elite schools, I again felt that my country had made the right choice and our belief in equality had been restored. As the era of personalities ended in politics and gave way to era of identities, while others saw chaos, I saw evolution and as now we move from era of identities to era of development, I again see progress instead of depression in the debates on growth. As youth march on the street, while others see weakening of democracy, I see strengthening of it, as no tanks were deployed to curb the protests and the youth and the middle class, earlier disengaged, now vows to engage in the democratic process. That can only be good for my country.
As I head for another essay in another classroom in rural U.P., I am filled with hope that I can teach my students that the idea of India is worth a lifetime, as if I am able to teach my students the idea of India then I will also be able to teach them the idea of tolerance, pluralism, secularism, justice, equality, democracy and peace. In a nutshell the idea of India deserves to be celebrated as it the idea of humanism itself!
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