Mumbai struck. Mumbai bombed. Mumbai gunned.
The news is full with the ongoing terrorist attack in mumbai, which they say is the biggest till date. 125 dead including 14 police personals.
Recently I was watching a talk show hosted by Barkha Dutt where Nandan Nilekani was the guest and he was answering questions on things related to all that is going on in India and world. But what struck me most was the question that Barkha asked him at almost the end of the show.
"What unites India?"
Can we be brought together? What is it that brings us together? Nandan's answer was too diplomatic least to say.
The fact that all of us want to have a better life. The fact that each of us wants to grow. And the fact that we want better life for the next generations, better than ours.
But that again is what goes in mind of every human being on earth. What is so "Indian" in that?
Pondering over the question, I was so stumped by the fact that I could not think of one reason that brings us together. Yeah, definitely Pakistan, Cricket and as Nilekani said the desire to improve our lives is always there. But what after that. Do we take pride on the very basic characteristics of our country? "Unity in diversity" seems to be a quote out of a fairy tale. "World's biggest democracy" has become the smallest in attitude and vision. While the world rejoices in the election of Obama as US president, the biggest election issue in India still remains how to blame everything on the other party. While the world talks about "change". We talk about "differences". The biggest calamity today fails to stir people and bring everyone together against it. This debacle that we have been witnessing on TV "live", will it bring people together? how would it be remembered after it is over, and say in a week. As a failure of the government? Will it again be given another colour? Ofcourse the government failed. The intelligence failed. The security failed. We failed.
But the question is, are we together taking the blame? Or are we blaming it on someone else? We will have to come together. We will have to find reasons to unite again. We will have to look at the aspects that brings us together and not focus on the differences. We were once captured, "enslaved" because of the differences. Do we want to see that again? We cannot fight each other and still fight the outside forces. We have to unite and stand against them, together. We need a sense of "being Indian".
Ask yourself. What is it that you think makes us Indian? That unites us? That brings us together? That brings all of us together?
