Topsy-Turvy

‘Kitne aadmi the’. I am sure when Salim Khan and Javed Akhtar wrote this line or when Amjad Khan as Gabbar said them on screen; they would have never imagined it to become so popular. If you haven’t heard this dialogue and still Indian, then probably you are still in the Neolithic age and if I am not mistaken, you have just finished the deer you hunted last night and are strolling around in your night suit of tiger skin. Why am I suddenly talking about this? It’s because I visited my dentist today. Wait, before you think that I am under the influence of any substance or have not yet come out of anaesthesia given by my doctor, let me tell you how this thought creeped or crawled (whatever you prefer calling that movement) into my head. I was sitting still on the dentist chair and the dentist was busy digging through the canal (he had the same passion and sense of pride in his eyes that may have been on the labourer digging the Suez canal) and he was busy flaunting his armour co...

Into the 67th year of Independence. But what exactly is being independent. What is Patriotism? Frankly, I never understand this. My closest encounter with Patriotism is when I am watching cricket match where I want India to win or watching movies like Lagaan, Border or Rang de Basanti. There is an adrenaline rush or a tear in the eye. Whenever 15 th August or 26 th January is round the corner, I am pretty disturbed. Not because that I don’t love my country. It’s something else, I don’t know why, but it happens. India is geographically and culturally a very beautiful place, not an iota of doubt. Look at the variety it offers- beautiful climate, well defined seasonality, you want snow you have it, you want hill station- you have it, you want sea-shore- you have it, you want desert- you have it. A country with rich heritage, music, culture, arts and literature. Then I think about the life of the people in our country and here I am talking about the common man. The Aam Aadm...