fallen heroes......

"Learn to live in this world with self-respect. You should always cherish some ambition to do something in this world. They alone rise who strive. Some of you nurse the wrong notion that you will not rise in this world. But remember that the age of helplessness has ended. A new epoch has set in. All things are now possible because of your being able to participate in the Politics & Legislatures of this country"

- B.R. Ambedkar

I start this post with a quote from Babasaheb Ambedkar whose birthday happens to be today i.e. 14^th April. For the uninitiated, Dr. Bhimrao Ramji Ambedkar (April 14, 1891 — December 6, 1956) was an Indian jurist, scholar, Bahujan political leader and a Buddhist revivalist, who is the chief architect of the Indian Constitution. Born into a poor “Untouchable” community, Ambedkar spent his life fighting against the system of Chaturvarna and the Indian caste system. He is also credited for having sparked the Dalit Buddhist movement. Ambedkar has been honoured with the Bharat Ratna, India's highest civilian award, given for the highest degree of national service.

Overcoming numerous social and financial obstacles, Ambedkar became one of the first "untouchables" to obtain a college education in India. He went on to pursue higher studies in Columbia University, New York, United States and England, where he earned law degrees and multiple doctorates for his study and research in law, economics and political science. Returning home a famous scholar, Ambedkar practiced law for a few years before he began publishing journals advocating political rights and social freedom for India's untouchables.

Well I can go on mentioning his numerous deeds – well this page might fall short. For more info please refer to Wiki at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/B._R._Ambedkar

Anyway I mention this because he is one of the heroes every Indian should feel proud of – these people were the ones who shaped up India as it evolves and grows today. But somehow the teachings and the learning’s from the sacrifices these great leaders made during our struggle for independence, somehow seem to have been lost in time.

I was on my way back to office from a quick dinner with my wife (it was our new year after all) – and I saw a huge din on the road i.e. on the intersection of M.G Road and Ambedkar road in the heart of Pune. Well I would not mind getting caught up in a procession meant to pay tribute to our heroes – what the major concern of dismay for me was hordes of youngsters hardly in their twenties swaying to some cheesy & cheap hindi songs and making wild gestures in air with all their limbs. An average American can identify the situation if on a peaceful Independence day procession up there, someone started playing Metallica or for that matter any kind of punk or rock music.

Shame on these people – while we take pride in the small but growing number of Indians leaving a mark globally in these modern times, I feel somehow sorry for the masses who somehow are clearly at a loss, hardly contributing to India’s economy or social wellbeing as a whole. When will the common man stop blaming the government for every small incident and take it upon themselves to create a better India. The beauty lies in self-creation – when an average Joe goes beyond the norms and creates his identity. No we are not an nuclear superpower (and I wonder if we ever will be), or have the largest oil reserves so that in the future we can hold the capitalist countries at ransom, nor we can always sustain a phenomenal growth rate – what we have is our people. They are I believe the key to India’s well-being in the future. This shift in the emphasis from natural resources to human resources is epochal – and must be recognized. If India wishes to shine better, it has to boost the marketability of its human resources. And not always can govt hold the key to this.

When will an average Indian learn, what pride is?

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