All of
these have created an enormous amount of wealth in the country thus enabling it to
take a great stride forward. At the same time, there have been events around us
that leave us wondering where we are heading towards?
Thus, on
one hand we create supercomputers and nuclear missiles, launch number of
satellites, have more advanced defense forces, on the other hand, we see cases
of corruption, murders, riots, the situation of unrest, poverty, and so on.
We from
the corporate world are a highly educated lot. Many of us have seen the rest of
the world quite closely for so many years. But do we do anything to improve the
situation of our great country? The answer is a sad no.
We do
engage in hot debates on national/social problems over a cup of tea or lunch;
but that’s it, nothing more. We all are too busy in working and enjoying our
lives over the weekends.
This
triggered me to think about the subject of this article and do some
introspection along with a group of like-minded friends like Ashish Inamdar and Anand Joglekar.
The thoughts below are
the outcome of the same. Hope it will inspire you to make a change.
Is
patriotism a switch-on/switch-off feeling that is practiced only a few days a
year? Certainly not.
Has
the word patriotism lost its meaning in today's materialistic and fast-moving
world? Certainly not.
If
this is so, then what does patriotism mean today? A group of friends came together and brainstormed a couple of ideas that can act as a
guideline to practice it in today's circumstances.
I
do not claim that this list is complete or the only way to practice patriotism;
however, the intention is to encourage some introspection and thought process
amongst many of us to follow it on a day-to-day basis.
I
am sure if many of us follow at least a few items out of the list below, it
would help our country improve in a big way if we are to compete with the rest of
the world.
You
can share your comments/thoughts, but please avoid getting personal. Thanks.
At home and office:
- Save Water, Energy, Fuel, and Food as much as possible
In public places:
- Try
and keep the place clean
- Do not
spit or throw garbage anywhere
- Try
and avoid doing anything that will harm/bother others
- Follow
Traffic rules – do not jump red signals or drive in the wrong direction
- Do not
blow the vehicle horns unnecessarily
- Where
possible, try and avoid using private transport, use public transport
- Try walking or cycling to the office if you are staying within 2 km. radius
Our Duty and Responsibility towards Society and the Nation
- Do not
take or give bribes
- Do not
get involved in or encourage in any activities leading to corruption
- Be
aware of consumer rights and use it when needed
- Plant
at least one tree and maintain it lifetime
- Get
involved in any educational activities
- Avoid
using plastic bags as far as possible
- Maintain
the sanctity of the historical places and national flag
- Exercise
your voting rights
- Follow
yourself and teach your children good values of life
Assuming I do all of the above, but also align / support –
ReplyDeleteA. Naxalite movements
B. Secessionist movements like that in Kashmir or elsewhere
C. Movements that challenge the very idea of India - i.e. Bharat
Then would I still be considered as a patriot?
An analogy with the historical figure in times of Shivaji maharaj - Mirza Raje Jaisingh …
Jaisingh was on all accounts a very honest and pious individual – but caused a great damage to “Swaraj”.
Like in a programming language while evaluating logical expressions, which “AND” conditions should come first?
What are those parameters of Patriotism which if –ve then there would be no need to evaluate any further??
Thanks,
Milind Jalwadi