We MUST make 2009 the year of Freedom

The recent terrorist attacks, whether they be genuine or the controversial ones that some agencies are portraying them to be, have really hurt the democracy that we are....Free and Masters of our lives. No more so. Now it's for our own safety that our freedom is being curbed. I spoke to a lot of my friends in all the "happening" places in our country. NOT EVEN ONE WAS PARTYING! Even in Bangalore, where I am writing from, 12:30 am was the deadline. I just sat in my bed imagining the party-goers wishing each other in a hurry and rushing to their homes just to keep within the deadline. How much more ridiculous can things get? A seemingly innocent boy was shot down here just because of the panic these terror episodes have created. Everyone has a superb hindsight. Now everyone wants her voice to be heard regarding what the police should have done when they were chasing the boy. I really pity the police. They are used as blaming grounds for almost anything that goes wrong. It's easy for me to sit in my drawing-room with a bowl of pop-corn and curse the performance of our cricketers, but difficult to imagine myself BEING there and DOING that. Life changes a lot when the it's OUR eyes looking down the barrel of a gun pointed at us. People seem to think that police is SUPPOSED to take care of things no matter what because it is their job. Can we sometimes ask ourselves how WE are doing our jobs...as parents, as friends, as citizens of India, as the human race, as Hindus/Muslims/Jains etc. and the many other roles that we have to don on day-to-day basis? We all still sit in our cars forming the traffic and curse the traffic snarls. How far are we going to carry on this attitude?

There is a pushing drive for creating better infrastructure for cyclists in Bangalore. Kudos to Bangaloreans for the will! They deserve the appreciation because although they have not yet done it, I see that they are the only ones thinking about it. And that's VERY GOOD! The rest of the country hasn't even started imagining it. My only request to Bangalore would be to be more assertive when it comes to life changing ideas. I have personally always thought of Bangalore as less happening than Pune. But if this idea is realised in Bangalore, I am changing sides. "Happening" is not only about night-life and cool dressing. It's a broader, more intelligent, more responsible mindset.

Wondering what all this have to do with the FREEDOM I was talking about? Well, freedom that we have to try for, is not only from unnecessary curbs on our life, but also from the lethargy that we show when it comes to fulfilling our duties. Also, being unbiased about important issues that are slowly eating up the freedom that has a pure definition somewhere in this eternity. Freedom from geographical bounds when we consider our environment; freedom from our static mindsets when it comes to sexual equality; freedom from prejudice the moment we negotiate with someone of a different religion; freedom from pre-set economic models when it comes to our country's working; freedom from age-old attitudes when it comes to governance; .......................................................

The list never ends. Sounds like a lot of work. But how do we sit and enjoy our TODAY when scores of our ancestors have toiled to hand us over better TOMORROWS? What about our children? Are they going to live in hell just because we frittered away our time in simply spending what we had, rather than investing our resources for a better tomorrow? Life has to go on. And I am not talking "survival". I mean "living". When I see that five-year old small girl who always assume her father is always right, I shudder at the thought of how much of her trust we have betrayed.

We have to aim for freedom. Freedom from every distraction inside us that takes us away from doing the right thing. And US is the key word here. Whether it be traffic problems, or housing problems, or ethical problems, or any other...Baapu said once - THERE IS ENOUGH HERE FOR EVERY MAN'S NEED; BUT NOT ENOUGH FOR EVEN ONE MAN'S GREED.

HAVE A RESPONSIBLE AND ENLIGHTENING 2009.