Quo Vadis?

On the eve of January 26 th some thoughts were in my mind. Idiots are now painting patriotism in varied colours in a way the fathers of constitution never imagined. In case you wondered in no particular order: -           I can speak English, French, Tamil or any language, I am an Indian -           I can eat meat or I may choose not to, I am an Indian -           I can follow any faith or be faithless, I am an Indian -           I can be political or apolitical, I am an Indian -           I can be from the minority, I am an Indian -           I can be different, I am an Indian -           I believe that unity in diversity is the fabric of our country, I am ...

A long time ago, I was informed that it is actually just 9 I got drawn into a group called I-Fix, another initiative that was formed on idealism, fuelled by youthful energy with a desire to make a change. There may have been others, in fact I remember voting for Lok Paritran, remember that party of youngsters like Surya in Ayudha Ezhuthu who wanted to clean the muck of politics and contested with the symbol of an axe? I-Fix wanted to make a change by doing little things by the individuals themselves without waiting for institutional or government support. Yes even before the politicians made “Namakku Naame” an election stunt, there were initiatives by the common man who sought to make things right one step at a time. I-Fix was into fixing potholes, those silent killers that we loathe on the roads but seldom find any solution to including not meeting the elected councillors for resolution. I-Fix volunteers used to meet quietly in some predetermined spot and fill the potholes ...

I was in the branch of a Public Sector Bank on a Friday on some work and in the back ground amidst the noise of the busy branch was a faint tinkling of a prayer bell. In some time my meeting was interrupted by a priest who brought the sacred fire and the prasad to the occupants of the cabin. When he came to me, I smiled and stepped back; he saw me, smiled in acknowledgement and moved to the next person. What happened is a regular occurrence on Fridays in many secular organizations in our country. We are proudly secular but we happily pray to the Gods of our choice and we respect the views and beliefs of others. When the priest entered, all the occupants in the room including me stood up immediately out of respect. My personal beliefs made me step back from the sacred light and this act was respected by the others in the room. They did not bear me any ill will nor did they treat me any differently. When the priest left the room our business conversations resumed where we had le...