Ah! There it is. A day off from work. A day on which one can sleep away into the afternoon. Aday for multiplexes to cash in on Friday openings of Raaz 2, irrespective of how good/bad the movie is. A day on which Bollywood actresses appear one by one dressed up as sati savitris on various channels wishing viewers a happy day and also reminding them to keep watching that particular channel.
A day for youngsters to head out to picnic spots with their yaaron ki barat. A day on which TV channels, including Zoom TV, can embolden their logos with the colours saffron, white and green. A day on which city-based newspapers overflow with advertisements flashing special discounts and rush-in-before-it’s-over offers.
A day on which wearing a kurta is a little smarter than wearing a My-Dad-is-my-ATM T-shirt for men and wearing a salwaar kameez is more pleasing than wearing a What-are-you-staring-at? top for women. A day for “kewl” hunks to romance “kyuut” chicks behind trees and bushes in gardens. A day on which you can say “Valentine’s Day is coming”. A day on which wives can pester their husbands with “Aaj chhutti hai. Bacchon ko bahar khana hai.” and get an “Ok, baba” in return.
A day on which patriotic songs are played by FM radio stations, at least for a few hours. A day on which special offers are available at restaurants, decorated with tricoloured balloons and waiters dressed in traditional clothing. A day on which the Indian tricolor, the Rs. 2 one that street children sell, is found in the skies at dawn and on the streets at dusk.
At the same time, it is a day on which India became a Republic. A day on which the Constitution was adopted by the people a couple of years after independence. A day on which the idea of India, and the power, is demonstrated with grace and honor in New Delhi. A day on which the national anthem is sung with a tranquil mind. A day on which the tricolor should be saluted, and then stored and kept away safely. A day on which the Indian cricket team WINNING matters more than any other ordinary match day. A day on which the finger just doesn’t move towards the remote to change a channel playing an India-themed movie. A day on which everything pales into insignificance. Or at least, everything SHOULD pale into insignificance.
Happy 60th Republic Day.
Stay proud.
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10 comments:
Sunday, January 25, 2009 at 9:40:00 PM PST
Very nicely expressed rainbow of emotions. Happy Republic Day to you too.
Sunday, January 25, 2009 at 10:16:00 PM PST
You summed up it real nicely . And I bet this Republic Day , people would express their patriotic feelings even more strongly , cause of 26/11 . Till that fades out of memory as well . Happy Republic Day .
Sunday, January 25, 2009 at 11:28:00 PM PST
Yup, Be Proud. I thought you'll end like those pseudo columnists saying - Is this what is Independence? Thankfully, you remained Proud :) HRD
Sunday, January 25, 2009 at 11:51:00 PM PST
A day for “kewl” hunks to romance “kyuut” chicks behind trees and bushes in gardens. A day on which you can say “Valentine’s Day is coming”....
Not this. Because now we have the Bravest of the brave, the brand new Sri Ram Sena to make sure such immoral activities are put an end to.
Our Nation and it's culture are safe again.
Monday, January 26, 2009 at 1:01:00 AM PST
@Vinod Sharma
Thanks
@Kislay
I agree.
@Rakesh
Thank you.
@IHM
Yes. Truly shocking acts. A new orthodox, traditionalist curse is now upon us. Very shocking the way they were treated.
Will follow the news closely and hope those culture-less youths get imprisoned.
Is this the way to treat women? What a shame. And they call themselves religious!
Monday, January 26, 2009 at 9:13:00 PM PST
Hope you had a nice and pleasant day!
Nicely expressed :)
Monday, January 26, 2009 at 9:42:00 PM PST
Stay proud. That is an optimist. I will and anyways there should be a few hopes still up.
Tuesday, January 27, 2009 at 1:15:00 AM PST
whatever you do on this day by choosing to show/not show your patriotism stay proud by doing things that will strengthen our country.
cheers!
abha
Friday, January 30, 2009 at 7:32:00 AM PST
So well expressed,
anything to celebrate the Republic Day, the secular republic day-that reminds you of a shoddy treatment meted out to women in the name of religion and purity.
Bah!
Friday, January 30, 2009 at 9:36:00 AM PST
Well said! For me, this year, it was a day when I watched Slumdog Millionare with my family! What a movie to watch on Republic day! :)
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