Saturday, May 31, 2008

A Mighty Heart

A mighty heart... Was that the correct title for the film? Well indeed it was... What made me write this blog? I really don't know.. Perhaps cos the movie moves u. It moved me cos I knew that it was true. This did happen. And guess what? It continues to happen... Americans are doing it all over the world, somewhere legally, somewhere illegally, even Chinese do it. But don't we Indians do it as well?? Look around the newspapers and the answer lies there.. The Kashmiri separatists, the Naxalists, the ULFA... why is the 10% of the nation fighting it? Are we ready to face a few realities?

Today, one of my friends very casually remarked on how the Biharis have spread all over the place with a contempt at his face as if he was talking about some other species. Haven't many of us felt the same? But are we ready to ask ourselves where would they rather go if the rest of the nation doesn't help its state develop? Do we ever ask why is Naxalite movement spreading so fast? Branding 10% of the Indian population as anti-social certainly wouldn't be a solution!

We pay tips at the restaurants, but would pick up a fight with a rikshaw-wala over 5 rupees. We can spend Rs1000 on a single outing on a Friday night casually, but would ask 100 questions if someone asks for Rs 100 donation for a cause. We would lament that PM relief fund is not being used as the reason for not contributing towards anything good.

We say reservations are anti-merit. What merit are we talking about? Isn't it the same merit being bought in a coaching institute?

I know the questions are difficult and answers subjective. But unless we face them, the way forward is meaningless. I always felt secure away from death and violence. But a few days back only I realized maybe its not that far..

Jolie says in the film that wherever there would be misery, they (terrorists) find people. Ask yourself if you're one of those helping them get one more person... This pain that you can see everywhere now remember is like that of a swallowed tear that swells the throat. Its not the swelling that needs to be cured, it is the pain that caused the tear!