
You don't have to be a movie buff, to know about a gentleman called Mani Rathnam and even the most oblivious person would be aware of the word Roja, which was more than just a movie. In Roja, most people cannot forget the scene wherein Aravindh swamy patriotically replies to Pankaj Kapoor's question "enna tamizhan thimira? illa Indiyan thimiru"
I was one among millions who was touched by the powerful dialog of Mr.Sujatha. It was a fitting reply to all the dravidian parties and tamizh separatists.
Sachin Tendulkar after the epic 200* which by now has been discussed in every form of communication tool ever invented, said " I would be happy, And I wish this record gets broken by a fellow Indian".This statement increased the unimaginable respect that he enjoys among fellow countrymen(like infinity +1)
It is considered to be a separatist, narrow minded and ostentatious statement when someone speaks about his state/zone's pride disregarding the interests of other states. And even I agree on it.
But what puzzles and intrigues me the most is how does it that when somebody boasting about his country, undermining fellow nations gets to be considered patriotic and broad minded.
Why should I feel more pain or sympathy when someone (who is more than 7000 km away from me,who doesn't understand a single word I speak, who is made up of totally contrasting genes to that which make me- say a nagaland citizen) dies than when a sri-lankan or pakistani who has a different passport to mine, but every other thing common with me experiences similar tragedy?
Why was I ridiculed by my friends when I cheered for team chennai and accepted by everyone during team India's case?
Why is it great to love rahman's vande mataram but kind of odd when you give the same love to Semmozhiyana tamizh mozhiyzaam?
Mathematically speaking, A simple case of summation of similar entities(states)produces totally opposite and contrasting results to, when each
individual entity( single state) is applied to the same process.
Considering Sachin's statement as the process, if we replace the variable Indian, to say -Marathi.Sachin could have become Shiv sena's brand ambassador.
Same process,
change from individual variables to summation of variables = totally contrasting reactions. (in this equation media acts both as catalyst and promoter).
It is a classic case of big vs small, where the big(nation) is always superior to the small(region) proved by an unquestioned theory just like boyle's law.
May be by posting this I have committed the biggest crime possible, of questioning the second most noblest of all feelings patriotism- (a distant second to mother's love).
But I don't care what others think, I don't see the Radcliffe lines,the 22nd parallels or the Waghas that's why I consider myself a non-conformist. I am not favourably or comfortably on the side of the big(nation) or stupidly in the side of the small(region). I am part of the super-big (the universe) and I am proud of it, much more prouder than when I say I am part of India.
confession: The fear of non-acceptance and hate, held me from posting this piece for the past 2 months. But now I have killed the fear, may be that's what rebels do.
'when the eyes are clear, you look at the big picture without fear'
A Naga or nepali may not bear ur same gene,But they starve and stay agile at borders(read Goorkha regiment) so you can sleep peacefully while your same gened cousins(read pakistani mujahideens) are busy trying to kill or maim you or other fellow brothers.Im nt speaking abt good cousins of yours( rembr we do eye operations,heart operaations for pople from pakistan here at chennai). U can question this feeling coz u had never lost a loved one to their terror..
ReplyDeletethe national feeling or Indianness which everyone considers sacred, stems out of certain political,physical boundaries that is man made and I don't believe in them. If these national boundaries weren't made sacred and sentimental there would be no need for a pakistani cousin to kill me,he wud have considered me as his own as i consider him. concept of nation is a sort of excuse to hide from our fears, so that we wud have naga bros to help us..every union is an excuse to an individual's incompetency.
ReplyDeletetook u draw lines from JK with world is my nation idea.But a nation is extension of self. U may hink him as cousin but he woudnt think u so. U cannot say ,im ur cousin to someone who comes with kalashnikovs.MIght respects might. so nation idea is drawn from that.
ReplyDeleteI'll givemy life for my love
but i'll give up my love for my nation.
my argument is simple, if we love a naga who is going to protect us from a war that may or may not happen (or temporarily postpone our death) why not love a sergey brin,edison, nusrat khan(pak cousin) equally who have given meaning to our life..may be a nation has united billions,but it definitely is a division of mankind...BTW terrorists are not mankind according to me..so that variable doesn't count here
ReplyDeletewho said im hating Edison? Of course i luv Edison to steven spielberg ..Even that mahiya girl from pakistan. But, if u ask for preferences, I'll give my life for fellow naga for the simple reason that he would give his life for me while others wouldnt.When there is so much need and so little resources, only the united nd strongest can survive and nation is one the rope to bind us..
ReplyDeletefirst of all I didn't say you hate anyone.. the only reason the naga is protecting us is due to the concept of division of nations.. Even you ve said only the united will survive,then why be divided as a nation, be united as a global citizen.. May be my argument might not be practical today, but if everyone thinks so we could be from a single place called earth..rather than India,pak etc
ReplyDeleteThat might never be possible practically - to be united as a single global citizen. It may become possible if we are invaded by some alien race and if our survival is threatened (remember fear is one reason we join with similar people or people with similar motives) what u say might be possible else,this blood bath would go unabated.
ReplyDelete