It’s just a co-incidence that this post is coming on Independence day.

Last night I was in an auto with a couple of friends, and the auto couldn’t get up a slope and stopped near the edge of the slope which was leading onto a main road. We had to get down from the auto, and after a lot of fight, the auto got on top. As the driver was trying hard to get the auto moving, a guy comes over and starts talking to him in Marathi. I’m not sure if he was a traffic police. He was dressed in white, but didn’t really look like one.

After asking a few questions, but not getting any replies, the guy asks him in Hindi, if he understands Marathi, and on getting a negative reply, starts shouting on him!

The guy harasses the driver, asking him to handover his license and threatens him of horrible consequences, if he doesn’t do so. We tried to intervene saying, we want to leave early and stuff, but the auto refused to start. The driver asked us to leave and said he’ll take care of the matter.

And then, today I hear people talking of national integration and stuff. I hear stuff about changing the country, getting rid of corrupt politicians and all the high ideals crap. I keep hearing all sorts of patriotic songs that I hear only twice a year. Not once more than that.

Why is it that we talk of all this only on these two days of National importance? Why are these songs played only twice a year? Don’t we get that feeling of patriotism on other days? Isn’t patriotism a “true” feeling?

I think, India will only take a leap in it’s progress, when that happens.