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'
