The golden days
Some time ago in history, there was a country. With the most diverse land on the face of the earth and tremendous versatility in cultures, the great nation held pride. People then were happy and merry. They celebrated all festivals with equal zest and loved each other more than they loved themselves. The king took care of his subjects like a father. The land grew great amounts of food, the cattle could flow rivers of milk, the sky showered love, the water was pure, and everything was as perfect as a child’s dream.
But good days stay only to be followed by the dark ones. Strangers from a faraway land once came to the great state for evolving a beautiful relationship which would be of mutual interest. The nation, open to new relations welcomed the guests heartily not only in the land, but also in the hearts of the people. But the strangers meant something else. Slowly and schemingly they took over the land and what once were kings, were reduced to puppets. A few paranoids got control of the state once called the ‘golden bird’ by the world. The bird was now featherless but it didn’t retaliate as it thought first of the people whom it had respected and then of itself. The bastards took advantage of the silence and raped the bird till it could stand no more. For once the soldiers of the nation awakened and fought like never before. Bravehearts equipped with courage, patriotism used the weapons of love, non-violence and satyagraha to fight for their mother. But as nature would have it, they had to pay the price of a late revolt. The bird was saved but wingless. It could not fly again. It fell on the earth with only the hope to touch the sky again. It was shattered, destroyed, finished. The great legend was… over. The culprits went back to their motherland but left their deeds here. Violence, racial discrimination, hunger for power, poverty, discontent became the synonyms of the new land. Now government nothing but a race for power and who could say more. Unhappiness was accepted as a natural part of people’s lives. The golden bird was now, dead.
But today, the times have changes since then. A resurrection is in the making. Another bird has taken flight, partly golden. It stores in itself the wise principles of the ancient land and flies at a place to meet the modern demand. It has challenges to overcome and problems to demolish. Today people don’t discuss the problems they have. Anyone who doesn’t think like them ‘just doesn’t understand’ and anyone who thinks differently altogether ‘is definitely mad.’ No one has time to sit down and think as they don’t have time to get their cars fueled as they’re too busy driving it. A time has come when no one talks to no one. The land of ‘we’ is overcome by the motto of ‘me.’ The government pays no heed to the wants of the people. Hypocrisy has overtaken democracy. People have forgotten to be what they are and become ‘what people want them to be.’ They talk of fighting terrorism but do not demolish the terror of LKK (log kya kahenge?) which resides in them. Once proud of its diverse culture, religious and caste differences are what seem ‘natural’ today. People say ‘what can a single person do by changing himself? What can I do alone? What can anyone do alone? It’s not my fault as I was quiet.’ They don’t realize that keeping quiet was what caused this disaster. It is not a crime. It is a sin. Now it’s the time to stand up and speak. Now is the time to fight the inner demon. Now is the time to do it again. Now is the time for resurrection. I am a soldier of the pen. I do my work and shall continue doing it. I hope you shall find yours and do yours too. May you kill the inner monster soon.
But good days stay only to be followed by the dark ones. Strangers from a faraway land once came to the great state for evolving a beautiful relationship which would be of mutual interest. The nation, open to new relations welcomed the guests heartily not only in the land, but also in the hearts of the people. But the strangers meant something else. Slowly and schemingly they took over the land and what once were kings, were reduced to puppets. A few paranoids got control of the state once called the ‘golden bird’ by the world. The bird was now featherless but it didn’t retaliate as it thought first of the people whom it had respected and then of itself. The bastards took advantage of the silence and raped the bird till it could stand no more. For once the soldiers of the nation awakened and fought like never before. Bravehearts equipped with courage, patriotism used the weapons of love, non-violence and satyagraha to fight for their mother. But as nature would have it, they had to pay the price of a late revolt. The bird was saved but wingless. It could not fly again. It fell on the earth with only the hope to touch the sky again. It was shattered, destroyed, finished. The great legend was… over. The culprits went back to their motherland but left their deeds here. Violence, racial discrimination, hunger for power, poverty, discontent became the synonyms of the new land. Now government nothing but a race for power and who could say more. Unhappiness was accepted as a natural part of people’s lives. The golden bird was now, dead.
But today, the times have changes since then. A resurrection is in the making. Another bird has taken flight, partly golden. It stores in itself the wise principles of the ancient land and flies at a place to meet the modern demand. It has challenges to overcome and problems to demolish. Today people don’t discuss the problems they have. Anyone who doesn’t think like them ‘just doesn’t understand’ and anyone who thinks differently altogether ‘is definitely mad.’ No one has time to sit down and think as they don’t have time to get their cars fueled as they’re too busy driving it. A time has come when no one talks to no one. The land of ‘we’ is overcome by the motto of ‘me.’ The government pays no heed to the wants of the people. Hypocrisy has overtaken democracy. People have forgotten to be what they are and become ‘what people want them to be.’ They talk of fighting terrorism but do not demolish the terror of LKK (log kya kahenge?) which resides in them. Once proud of its diverse culture, religious and caste differences are what seem ‘natural’ today. People say ‘what can a single person do by changing himself? What can I do alone? What can anyone do alone? It’s not my fault as I was quiet.’ They don’t realize that keeping quiet was what caused this disaster. It is not a crime. It is a sin. Now it’s the time to stand up and speak. Now is the time to fight the inner demon. Now is the time to do it again. Now is the time for resurrection. I am a soldier of the pen. I do my work and shall continue doing it. I hope you shall find yours and do yours too. May you kill the inner monster soon.
-Vishal Gupta
21st Feb. 2009
21st Feb. 2009
