We Indians (and mostly I think “people” in general for that matter), have a way of relishing grief, cherishing sorrow. Especially when it is “other’s grief”, “someone else’s sorrow”! Pardon me if I sound stoic, but look at what word we spread around? Take daily newspapers, TV channels, magazines, the web – celebration of pain is everywhere.
Last year on 26-Nov there were about 10 people who came to India illegally, ripped our security networks, targeted our financial capital (amchi Mumbai) and tore apart the faith of 1,139,964,932 people in our own justice and protection system. Even now I shudder at the thought of those images on my television screen. Each minute was gruesome. It was hell while it lasted.
But heck, all that is over, isn’t it? Can we take the lesson, benefit from it and move on?
There was also one other side of that midnight – people from all over India were extremely courageous, helpful even to strangers, immensely close knit during those times. Tell me how many of us ever prayed for strangers, wished to God to help innocent souls, really really meant and *felt* sympathy towards fellow Indians before? During Kargil war? I would think so. May be.
But at other peaceful times we bicker amongst ourselves over which tenant gets to park the car in front of a three storey apartment or we gossip about movie-icons and cricket-stars or indulge similar kind of nonsensical pass-times. Do we really bond as “Indians” during those times?
Every country has good as well as bad things. Corruption, crime infest each society. But do we really want to let a handful of evil thinkers get the better of 1,139,964,932 ? Do we let them ruin our achievements, happiness, peace & all-the-little-things-that-matter-big? Have a gala time with free publicity at our expense? Make us forget our triumph over tragedy?
I would never want to do it. Why did we do the parades, light candle etc on the day it started? Why not commemorate the day we WON over them? Why not do something special for the dear ones of the victims and let them know that they have their countrymen with them (and I just don’t mean Govt. grants and stuff… )?
India should be (and definitely CAN be) a symbol of hope over despair, light over darkness, joy over sadness. It is OUR country, our beloved “Bharat-maataa”, so who else will take care of her, if not us?
Think not about what this country did for you, instead ponder over what YOU did for INDIA….!
Yesterday, as i was flipping through channels, I stumbled upon a very old ad ‘Washing powder Nirma…’ on DD (DoorDarshan! Yes, our cable guy does provide us that). The ad lasted only a few mins but it took me years back in time… to the good old DD days.
Instantly, al those memories came flashing and made me feel nostalgic. It reminded as to how roads used to be deserted when the greatest ever epic “Mahabharata” was telecast on Sunday mornings. It seemed that city came to standstill for that one hour every Sunday! Everyone in the family used to be glued to the television. Mom used to prepare breakfast well before time so she would not have to miss a single scene.
On Sundays, even I used to wake up early, only to catch the latest songs on Rangoli (who on earth would now wake up to listen to blaring songs from thousands of music channels). My personal favorite was Surabhi, the best show that projected India’s cultural diversity. So used to look forward to the questions asked in the end, only then we did not have access to Google 
Difficult to resist the urge to list a few more – Potli baba ki, Vyomkesh Bakshi, Vikram Betaal, Malgudi days, Hum Log – the list can go on..
It was not just about the quality of serials that used to be aired but also the fact that they were telecasted only once a week (most of them, if not all) unlike the K-soaps these days that are on no matter what time and day of the week it is! These days, we have news channels that cover everything from ‘who-slapped-who’ videos to ‘a cat stuck on the top floor of a building’ but NEWS. We even have reality shows that has made a mockery of the concept of arranged marriages. Also now, all the shows are available at the click of a button, courtesy YouTube, Google and many more…
Ohh… How I miss the good old Days, wish I could go back in time and re-live some of those, with no access to mobile phones, internet or the cable network. In a world, where everything was not so readily available and where we can live each moment and relish them later, as I just did …
There are two things that fueled this
(a) I am an Indian to the core and
(b) I simply love literature
Let me explain those two a little. I am an Indian to the core. I can (and do) love Greek food, English fiction, American (monster) trucks, Japanese furniture and crafts, Chinese calligraphy and beads and several many other from all over the globe, but deep down I have India in me. I love my country – its rich and varied heritage, culture, being a part of this colourful, soulful community. Naturally what follows is a love for all our festivals and celebrations. Being able to enjoy Diwali, Eid and Christmas in a small town in Goa is an experience unlike any other. I also love our national festivals and days – Independence day, Republic day and even Children’s day 
Secondly, I simply love literature. Fiction mostly. I get really carried away, misty eyed even when I read something beautiful. (Remember Yugandhar by Shivaji Sawant? Or Heidi by Johanna Spyri?)
So when Children’s day came by this year I tried to combine these two seemingly unrelated ideas. Here’s what we did at home:
- - I scripted “Merchant of Venice” by W. Shakespeare into a skit in Hindi
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- – Hindi’ized it (Shylock became Thakur Ratan Singh)
- – Slashed etcetras from the plot (I had only 5 actors, one of whom was a 3 yr old!)
- Broke down everything into scenes, dialogues
- Explained the story, each character and scene to my 5-actor (children) crew
- - Our kids’ tuition teacher and her sister along with Bhaiya became our judges. Tuition teacher’s family was audience.
- - Bhabhi took up make-up-artist-cum-hostess role.
- - My husband Chiran put on his cameraman’s cap
- - Practiced. Practiced. Practiced.
- - Rehearsed. Rehearsed. Rehearsed.
The result? It was through and through fun. Kids and elders all worked together as a team. Come to think of it, how often do we really manage that? 
I’ll be uploading the video shortly on YouTube. Watch this space for a link..
