Posted:
Really good to know that there are still some people who take out time to think and talk about the issues we are facing.
@pooja....don't apologise for your 'essay'....if thinking is the first step towards improvement, talking about it is the second. :)
@krithu....doesn't seem odd or boastful, because I have seen people myself who are really good citizens. we can all learn from you. :)
Our problem is not that we do not become a part of the system by entering politics, etc, and changing it from within. The way God made us, all of us can do specific stuff, and very few have the strength or capability to survive in the field of politics.
Our problem is that we do not assume responsibility in the fields that we are suited for or already working in. We try to shirk work as much as we can, preferring to steal work done by others or just doing the minimum we can.
We are a democratic country, but polling and counting days are mere holidays for us. In my locality, which is the poshest area in the city and where 99% of the houses are occupied by IAS officers and their families, polling is just around 30%. Leave that aside, no one even comes to vote in the college elections. There's not even the excitement of being able to cast their vote!!
We don't elect our leaders you see. We don't even vote. Our IDs are used to elect them...all that fake polling n stuff.
Entering the system will not change anything except our own mindset. I experienced that myself during my internship in a newspaper office. Can't talk about it in my univ report, but I'll tell you guys about it, if you want to know.
I agree that there are good people, and hope and determination have, and will take us through. But what is the use of the uneasy truce that currently keeps us together? A truce that can, and does get broken so easily within seconds with just a word or gesture? Because that is how riots start, whether they are religious, communal or caste-based. We need to actually think of ourselves as a nation. We have to see every person as 'one of our own'. And it has to happen at the individual level.
People protest that talking about it is useless, that it doesn't help, but it does when it leads to action. Most people might make fun of you or curse you, but if 5 people think about it for a few seconds, 2 think for a bit longer, and 1 person takes positive action, it does make a difference.
Now I'm rather sleepy so I might not be making much sense. :P
One thing's for sure......we all can learn from krithu and others like her. One piece of paper thrown in the dustbin instead of the ground everyday, one drop of water saved, one electrical/electronic gadget switched off when not in use........it does make a lot of difference. :)
btw, I was asked to stand for the post of Class Representative for a students' party today. I refused, because they wanted just a figurehead - a person with a good image and yet not loads of popularity who could attract the teachers and the 'nerds', and because I love not being 100% cynical. :P
Geet - Hui Sabse Parayee
CID
