Independence

A very Happy Independence Day. I started thinking as soon as I heard myself. I didn't sound convincingly patriotic even to myself. I sound so artificial. I've been put through a heavy dose of 'bharat humko jaan se', 'rehman's jana gana mana version', 'ae mere watan ke logo', 'des rangeela' and what not. Very diligently these were all played over and over and over again all morning. Fine. So we've marked the day in true bollywood-ian style. What now? .. Until even a few years ago, Independence day meant I'd go look up something about the nation. Something about our freedom struggle. If I wouldn't, atleast I'd have heard someone speak of the glories of that long past bloody struggle. There was something to know about it always. But now, no one seems equipped to speak about it. Is this what India has come to after completing 60 years of its independence? Sounds sad. What is it like, to be an Indian, to have a past of over 200 years of struggle for independence? Of what value, is the freedom and independence now? When we were younger, I used to hear the others, elders mostly, speak of how we take our freedom and independence for granted and how we do not acknowledge our ancestors' struggle. If that was what they said then, to us, I wonder what their reactions would be like now. I'm not saying people don't acknowledge it anymore. They do. But like every other emotion, its commercialised and packaged and handed down to us. You want to express love, ok here, these are the standard heart melting numbers. Play them and return of love guaranteed. You want to express sorrow. Sure thing. These are the tunes for sorrow. Play them, and most assuredly, you'' feel the tears flowing down your cheeks. Similarly, you want patriotism? Arre no problem yaar. Play a few of those numbers rehaman made for roja and rang de basanti. You're job's done.

I'm not undermining the talents of rehaman when I say that. He's one of the best things that has happened to present day cinema. What I'm saying is, emotions dont seem genuine anymore. They dont seem or rahter, 'sound' like they've come out from the same person expressing them. They seem all so made up, like the teenaged girls you come across at college, with one inch thick make up and put on accents strutting around on their stilettos. They dont seem natural anymore. What right have I, to speak of the missing naturality,you say? Well, I'm sad for the lack of genuineness and originality of emotion, thought and expression in people. I'm also saying I'm unaffected by the wave that's taking us all in. I'm only the sadder for it. Are we living our lives by the dictat of bollywood songs, smart marketers who sell us their products in the name of our allegience to our nation, our emotions, our feelings, etc. ? Some food for thought, that.