Thoughts on I-Day: Dreams Yet to be Achieved

  •   Thu, Aug 15 2013
  •   By Manohar Tigga

August 15, 2013

In the present era people have different dreams based on their interests, ages, circumstances, abilities and so on. Many of us may dream to have better jobs, fat salaries, suitable life partners, families, cars and bungalows and what not. I am pretty sure quite a number of us dream of having the latest fashionable garments and possessing all possible modern electronic gadgets under the sun.

There may also be a multitude of people who go after achieving name and fame. It would be injustice if I say there are none who pursue their dreams to have a better world. There is nothing wrong in attaining our dreams but what shatters and haunts me is even after the 66 years of freedom from the British clutches our attitudes towards multifarious cultures, traditions, religions, and poor sections remain rigid. Today our county is politically free; nevertheless we are slaves of narrow outlooks, perceptions which are nothing but hindrances to have an overall development of India and people existing in it.
 
Building castles in the air may sound weird and absurd but it may be a metamorphosis to the fulfillment of unconscious dreams and aspirations. Though the great philanthropists of our land, who dreamt of just and humane society, have finished their earthly journey long ago, their principles still kindle scores of blazing hearts. Our vision of the future became realistic and achievable. We dreamt of unreachable stars in the sky and at the moment the entire globe is on our finger tips. We are savouring our dreams coming true like kids relishing their candy. No wonder we are losing the very essence of our dreams by basking in the momentous worldly glory. As we stand at the crossroads, we face colossal problems in society, in the country and at the world at large. Our dreams would remain virgin, untouched unless we create a better planet and just society for mankind.

We have feasible goals to achieve and we have practical means to renew our country and the whole humanity. It is not enough to create awareness or show concern; it is high time to provoke people to act. It is a time for radical rethinking of our values and their insertion into all societal structures and life dimensions to fashion a better society. ALL IS NOT WELL. Step out of the door and you have a real view of India and its people crouched in every streets and roads like cockroaches and we take pride in saying we are free. It may appear vague but the reality can’t be buried in the sand. The time invites us to ponder over the words of Mahatma Gandhi - “I am not interested in freeing India merely from the English yoke. I am bent upon freeing India from any yoke whatsoever.” “I shall work for an India in which the poorest shall feel that it is their country in whose making they have an effective voice, an India in which there shall be no rich class and no poor class of people, an India in which all communities shall live in perfect harmony. This is the India of my dreams.” His emphasis on economic equality is indispensable - “my ideal is equal distribution, but so far as I can see it is not to be realized, I, therefore, work for equitable distribution.’

Even after independence of so many years, we have a marked discrimination of classes and races. Poor are becoming poorer and the rich are busy amassing wealth at the cost of their fellow human beings who are starving to death. The rights are denied and poor are oppressed. Mangalore is not an exception to that. There are many eyewitnesses including me of the poor spending nights on the pavements in pouring rains and also harvesting something from garbage to satiate their hunger. We have many rich class people spending money lavishly for their luxury and comforts but there are only a few who really show their concerns for the downtrodden people. On the bus stands or at the signals or in any functions, the beggars line up to get something. Who are responsible for all this mess? Thousands of people are jobless. And neither government nor any individual tries to solve these problems at a larger scale. But we are still blissful because we have attained freedom.

Nehru said, “I want the narrow conflicts of today in the name of religion or caste, language or province to cease and a classless and casteless society to be built up where every individual has full opportunity to grow according to his worth and ability.” Ethnicity and nationalism are not given but are social and political constructions. The vision of an integrated India and just society can be achieved only if all religions, languages, and cultural forms are allowed to flourish and social justice in the process of development is done to all in the spirit of our Constitution. Ayodhya had profoundly shaken the nation’s confidence in the past few years of its secular democratic traditions. In fact Ayodhya sadly reflected the rapidly deteriorating situation of our country. The main hope for the future India lies in ordinary people. For the average Indian is religious and basically tolerant. Ultimately it is India’s ordinary people who must eradicate communalism and ensure communal harmony. Today’s India urgently needs a culture which is concerned with all human problems and permeated by an option for the poor. Develop type of ideology, culture, religion, spirituality and values required to build a truly modern, secular democratic and social India.

My dreams of free India will be fulfilled if all the girls and women can walk in Indian streets at any time fearlessly and without becoming the prey in man’s clutch.  Organ selling has become a big trade and poor become the victim of it. Sex trade has become common all over the world. It would alleviate my pain if all of us are able to live with dignity and respect. Our education is unable to impart values. People are becoming the slave of mammon. We hurt everyone but don’t ever feel a pinch of pain. Rape, communal violence, corruption are naked in front of our eyes. My dream of free India may sound very Gandhian but my vision is to see all these rectified and have a better place to live in.

The time invites us to ponder over seriously the reasons of our brokenness. People need not agree with me but I strongly feel that we have become more individual. Money is everything. We have become selfish. Our concern is I, me, and myself. We are self centered. We think that what we believe is the best. Our desire is to become superior to others. We are driven by our ego and pride. We are also overpowered by lust for sex, money, and for name and fame. It is a challenge to reflect over all these and bring changes as the time needs. My dream of free India will come true when all of us will render our helping hands to make our country a better place in a reality.  Thus as I conclude I would like to quote Rabindranath Tagore’s poem which must echo in our hearts and minds enabling us to have such vision for India:

"Where the mind is without fear and the head is held high,
Where knowledge is free,
Where the world has not been broken into fragments,
By narrow domestic walls, where words come out from the depth of truth,
Where tireless striving stretches its arms towards perfections,
Where the clear stream of reason has not lost its way,
Into the dreary desert sand of dead habit,
Where the mind is led forward by thee,
Into ever-widening thought and action,
Into that heaven of freedom, my Father, let my country awake.”


 

Manohar Tigga Archives:
By Manohar Tigga
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Comment on this article

  • anita britto, Mangalore/ Auckland

    Thu, Aug 29 2013

    Congratulations , Manohar. Very well-researched and well-written article.

    Thank you for sharing your views which makes very interesting and engaging reading.

  • Rosario, kallianpur

    Thu, Aug 22 2013

    You can not expect anything as far as Mouna Mohana is our PM.
    He has to retire, sit at home and write economics books. His policies does not work in practice.
    Without him Sonia is '0'.
    Let Modi come,(Not that I like modi) for 2 years for change. Only for some action, because he will not survive more than one year either.!!What I mean is we need a change. MMS is a dumb and waste.

  • Alok Tirkey , New Delhi

    Tue, Aug 20 2013

    Excellently written Manohar. I enjoyed reading this article of yours. And I am also enlightened and attained insights as to how we are miles away from our collective dream as Indians and as cosmopolitan citizens at large. Our dreams are unfulfilled because of the dirty, contagious disease called greed. It is rightly said that the mother earth has stuff in abundance to fulfill the need of billions but she is empty to fulfill the greed of even hundred. Our personal dreams are not in consonance with the dreams which have wider appeal. Individualism has crept in our society and hearts which acts as an agent to safeguard our selfish motifs. We have become chasers of worldly comforts. Not doubt that we are industrious, but our narrow outlook forces our hard labour to overlook the pain and plight of the poor. We talk of sustainable development of India but our approach ends up with our families. Self purification of heart is the requirement of the hour to attain true freedom. Having read your article I feel, somewhere someone has to begin the noble work of cleansing the society. Why not it to begin with me before I step out to cleanse the vices of society.

    Ending my words, I would like to congratulate you for sharing your insights on this serious issue. Well done man.

  • John DSouza, Mangalore

    Sat, Aug 17 2013

    Congratulations Mr. Tigga.
    Age 66 years is not a matter. Unless we change our angle of thought and think different, we still will remain in the same pond, just like the crabs in a basket. We are in the new economy, facing the heat and affect of its speed, dynamic and uncertain nature.

    The Telecom Sector (IT) has reached its maximum height of progress. The land lines have become mobile and the smart phone smarter, but our Surface Transport Sector is still struggling and suffering from severe problems by following a slow and steady, tortoise style, since the introduction of vehicle engine.

    HOW LONG CAN WE spend millions of dollars per day, on fuel, feed millions of vehicles with expensive fuel like family/dependents, carry and move the huge dead weight of people and goods like infants, suffer air pollution and sound pollution and run vehicles in 180 degree angle, without any natural advantage, profit margin or return on investment?

    THE MERGER of horse style and kangaroo style (with special link) in vehicles can save more than 70% of expensive fuel, eliminate pollutions, reduce costs of manufacturing, running and maintenance of vehicles to below 50% and increase capacities of existing vehicles to more than 4 to 5 times, of normal capacities.

    If our priority is solutions (instead of wasting precious time on blame game and negative comments) we can achieve real success and growth.

  • Tony Crasta, Mangalore

    Fri, Aug 16 2013

    Excellent article and fully agree with the writer`s views that we have become more individual and self centered money, fame, name and power is everything for us our desire is to become superior to others we are driven by our ego and pride we are over powered by lust for money, name and fame, etc.

    I also agree with Manohar`s views that even though our country is politically free, we are slaves of narrow outlooks, which hinders the development of the country and its people.

    It is time, for the affluent, rich and mega rich people, who are there vast in number, to cast a kinder and pious look towards the poor, less fortunate and struggling people, and give them a helping hand in whatever way possible.

    After all, the Government can do only that much. We, as citizens should also take some onus and responsibility to work and contribute every possible way towards the betterment and uplift of their less fortunate brethren, and the nation at large.

  • kurt waschnig, Oldenburg Germany

    Thu, Aug 15 2013

    I enjoyed reading this nice article and as a foreigner, who is in love with India, I strongly wish that the dreams of Indians can be achieved.
    But when we look at the social realities in India, there are doubts if the dreams, hopes and wishes can come true. Without the strong determination, will and a well figured out plan eradication of poverty will not work. I would like to continue to talk about poverty in India.
    Poverty in India is caused by a number of factors. India was already in a weak state after becoming independent. However, overpopulation tends to be the leading factor. As there are poor employment opportunities in villages, people moved to cities, leading to crowded streets and unhealthy living conditions. Also, the belief of inferiority of women brought about the penury that Indians suffer from. Those living in rural areas depend on agriculture, which is dependent on rain patterns and the monsoon season. If there happens to be inadequate rain or monsoon failure, crops cease to grow, leading to a number of starving people. In addition, Indian families are generally made up of many members thus, it is very difficult to provide for everyone. The caste system also plays a role in poverty-those in the lower classes are deprived of various opportunities and hundreds of millions are illiterate. Just as the rest of the impoverished world, they are misinformed about diseases and sanitation.
    The external, situational, or structural factors of poverty are attributed to economic, political, and cultural factors operating on a higher, societal level. From a structural perspective, the argument is that most conditions of poverty can be traced back to factors inherent to either the economy or either institutional factors that serve to favour certain groups over others. Therefore poverty is attributed to unfriendly social, political, cultural, and economic factors. It is rooted in the basic set-up of society.
    In India structural forces such as removal of subsidies, market reforms, increasing urbanisation, rising income inequality, and increasing segregation of people on caste or religious line, have produced pockets of concentration of affluence and poverty. The spatial concentration of affluence has enhanced the benefits and privileges of the rich by excluding the poor.
    In a system characterised by such factors, poor people have fewer choices and consequently become less effective in solving their problems.


    Best regards


    Kurt Waschnig Oldenburg Germany

    email: oldenburg1952yahoo.de


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