A Few Question

I got a forwarded mail (Despite all my detestation of this particular genre of mails, and despite my whole-hearted sincere efforts of dissuading people from sending me such stuff, I still keep getting them by the dozens each week). The same stuff was here. My patriotism was being instigated to forward a certain mail to all whom I could. The content was funny.
The mail spoke of how Abhinav Bindra achieved a gold medal and got Rs.3cr from the government, but a security personnel who had laid down his life fighting terrorists got only 5 lacs. It spoke of how millions are given to cricketers who just play a game, and nothing to those who play with their lives for the country's sake. It indicted the politicians and government for not giving proper value to those who deserve. Finally it told me - 'be a patriot, forward this to as many people as you can'.
Isn't this funny? To begin with, it may not be fair to give only 5 lacs to a martyr, but how is it unfair to give away 3 cr to someone who achieved the first ever solo Olympic gold medal in the history of the country? Doesn't this speak of narrow mentality? Which believs that all that matters is what you have done militarily for the country. We must not forget that a truly developed nation doesn't only have a deadly arsenal. It is also a leader in all fields, be it sports, cinema or other forms of art.
Who runs cricket in our country? Certainly not the government. Its the BCCI, a private body. It is the richest cricket body in the world. And who made it so? We, the people of this country, who treat it as a religion. So if someone is so angry at cricketers being paid so much, ask people to not pay for it, simple. Why blame the government?
I found this important, because it reflects a few character traits we seem to have developed. To begin with, we feel all our responsibilities end with blaming the politicians. As if had it not been for them, we would have been the best country in the world by now. We criticize them for being corrupt, but dont think twice about giving a bribe to get some work done. We dont go to vote, and blame our elected representatives. We are always right, its them who are wrong. But who chose them? Also, we associate frivolous things with patriotism. Patriotism is not forwarding a mail, or voting for the Taj Mahal. It is about fighting to change it for the better. It is about doing your own bit honestly and to the best of your capabilities, as the message in Swades says. It is not in believing that your country is the best, but in believing that it can be made better through your efforts. Are we realising??

Related Posts by Glossary