So India nears 60 years of being a republic. We Indians are hypocrites when it comes to our country. We complain so much about everything: dirty politics, equally dirty cities, prices of commodities, noisy neighbours, irritating songs, pollution, extreme weather, masala movies, recession..well, I could just go on. But there’s no doubt that we take certain pride when we speak or even hear about our country. We are still filled with pride. HT Brunch ran a very nice article about why we Indians still love our country so much. I pick my 10 topmost favourites:
1. Faith in God: Try telling someone over here that you don’t believe in god. You’ll probably find yourself arguing with every person you tell this to. That’s what we do: we believe. We have faith. In a country which has so many religions, castes and cultural and ethical diversity, we are bound by one string: the thread of faith in God.
2. Monsoon Mania: After staring at the sky all summer, when we even hear the thunder, we jump with joy. Monsoons are all about the fresh smell of the wet soil, the constant pitter-patter of raindrops on the ground, hot, spicy pakodas at a roadside stall, and what’s better than walking in the rain? And monsoons in Mumbai are pure magic. I remember when I started loving monsoons; it was in Std 10th when a group of 6-7 people (including me) walked home from school (instead of taking the regular school bus) and ended up having pakodas, coffee, chai etc..anything and everything that we could lay our hands on as kids. Today I don’t have to walk a lot as my college is 10 minutes away..which is why I always remember that walk.
Pure magic indeed.
3. Bargaining: How do you feel when you’re cheated? We’ll probably never know!! We’re the last people on earth who have to worry about that. Bargaining is not just about getting yourself things at the right prices..it’s also about the fun!! Sometimes we just want that rupee off our vegetables and fruits, that’s all.
4. Gandhigiri: With his heart in the right place, Rajkumar Hirani gave the nation the catchword of the century. All because of that one man who took on the entire British empire with non-violence and non-co-operation, and gave us the free India that we are today. And now, so many years after his death, the people of the nation are bringing him back to life. Bole toh Gandhigiri hai mamu!!
5. Pet names: In Bangkok, Tuk-tuk is the name of a rickshaw. In many, many parts of India, that’s probably a pet name. Here, children are called Sweety, Dolly, Happy, Fruity, Jolly, Pinky...(add Cutey, Tweety, Gifty etc, we could come up with an Indian story of Snow-White and the Seven Dwarfs)
I mean, our parents take so much pain to legally name us and get those registered, and then by the time we’re twenty (before getting out of hand), we have twenty different nicknames.
6. Diverse Scenery: From the rustic scenery of Rajasthan to the dry planes of Ladakh, from the blue waters of Kerela to the dark-green forests of the North-East, from seas, mountains, valleys, rivers, deserts, forests, jungles, waterfalls..we have the whole planet here. Why would anyone want to go anywhere else?
7. Nothing is beyond repair: If the computer knocks off, you’ll probably call the engineer. If he says that it won’t work anymore, you won’t believe him and will go all over the place looking for someone who will finally tell you how to remodel it and use it in some other way. This is India. Nothing is ever so broken that it can’t be used again.
8. The riot of activity in every household every morning: Its chaos till 10 am, even if there are only two people in the house. So we have people quesing up outside the bathroom, eating breakfast hurriedly while wearing socks, and the best of all: the domestic help switching off fans and shouting at you to keep your legs up. It happens only in India.
9. Indian English: Do I really need to elaborate? Move out of the way everybody..hinglish is here!
10. Just because: We don’t need 60 reasons to love india. We love it because we love it.
Happy Republic Day everyone!
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