Monday, December 8, 2008

A Nation's Ordeal

Recently as I saw our Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh being felicitated at the Vishwabharti University, a thought crossed my mind. Isn’t this the same place from where Gurudev Rabindranath Tagore’s Nobel medal was stolen? So much security for a chancellor with political importance and so less for a prized possession of the nation. And what did we do about it, nothing. Neither the precious artefact has been restored nor have the miscreants been brought to law. The point I want to raise with this as an example is that we as a nation are of the forgiving kind and that is sad.

There was a huge hue and cry all over the national media, print/electronic, over issues such as Gujrat riots, Arushi murder probe or even this Nobel medal theft. But what happened henceforth? Our ever-competitive media goes about its habit of bringing into focus any one issue which more than attracting attention of the citizens attracts the other media agencies. Then there is a scramble for one exclusive news bite for the same and subsequently with that, drawing more viewers. It all comes down to that and not the importance and sensitivity of the news. once there is another piece of interesting news the older one is suddenly orphaned and we the news hoggers get engrossed in the recent updates losing memory of what was keeping us occupied in the last few weeks. Shameful indeed. We the people of this nation encourage this kind of numbed and insensate journalism which does no good for the nation. Public memory and their consequent anguish, anger or even joy is made to live short by the media and none of us care a damn about it.

I am not criticizing the media. It merely serves us in a plate what we love to eat. No nation can survive and prosper without maintaining a balance between tolerance and unacceptance of social, political and democratical undoings. And just merely showing dissent with a Bandh or a walk to the nearby city grounds doesn’t make a difference. We are a nation that showed non-cooperation to the world. we need to show that again. We make governments that rule over us, so we should also show our power and help make this nation a better place to survive and flourish. All of us must realise that India is so near yet so far from calling itself a world power. It has to evoke the fire from within and get rid of all its diseases once and for all.

Precisely, we have to be unforgiving and relentless to issues that affect our nation and affect us. Lets do it. Lets do it NOW!!!!

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