2020 - A New Beginning

I am listening to a song. A very old song indeed. I don't know how but I got an urge to listen to it. A playlist instead. But, another voice is dominating this over my song. The voice of firecrackers. Oh! the new year has arrived and so has the wishes of so many people. So many people have forwarded there wishes to all their contacts which included me. But, I have not responded to most of them.

What kind of new year are we celebrating? It's like celebrating independence on the cost of millions of lives and broken homes. I read the newspaper today and the first page is showing the same news as it has been for the past days. CAB protests at Lal Quila. CAA protests at Jama Masjid and many more protests at various other places. A new year but no new news. It is not a new knowledge that this country has been divided at the smallest levels till the top-most and the categories are so many. I am from a different cast of a different religion of a different state of a different gender. I am different from you on so many levels. Each level can trigger any kind of violence and any kind of hatred. It's like so many countries within one country which is so active in issues that are not worth a penny.  India is never at rest. There is always something going on which contributes to the loss of economy. Maybe these protests will stop, then a new would come up. Maybe Marathas need a new quota like the Jats do. Maybe another different language speaking community will come up to demand to include their language as the official language. Maybe Muslims are up for something else again like Hindus are. India is never at rest. But we have learned to live in harmony with so much going on in our everyday lives. Although this time, it was a disappointment.

It often makes us think to ask ourselves, what kind of new year we are celebrating? Another revolution? Which is useless. A better poll is that it is another chance to start afresh which in my opinion was really not required. Do you really require a day to start something new in your life? But, it is often the case that people try to start fresh with the excuse of the new year. It's good though. At least they do. Why don't we make a new start not by thinking that this year I want my useless rights but by thinking this year I will back out and contribute to peace and harmony. I will work on myself. If you think very deeply most of the issues are useless in India. Why would you need your language to be official? It's useless. Even if it not included, anyways everyone will speak. Wouldn't you speak Gujarati or Kannada if you belong to these regions? I have seen only one use of a language being included as official. It's the use to make an excuse and pump up your chest in front of another speaker. "Don't you speak Hindi?", "Why should I? Hindi is not a national language, Kannada is also an official language." This is the only use I have seen. I have never seen a man stand up in India and asking for a language to be considered as national to denote unity in the country. I mean keeping your self-interest aside. Just for this country. Well, this is a talk of another day.




I have seen so many issues in India and ultimately everything boils down to either religion or region and caste. Gender I will not consider for now. CAA or Babri Masjid, everything major thing is about religion or at least is made to look like that. Caste is another issue. Why don't I see an SC boy renouncing his quota because he is earning 12 lakhs per annum already and travelling in car and flights? I want to. A new year brings a new beginning. A new beginning which makes us feel to make everything wrong as right. This new year I hope to see a new India. An India with people focussing their energy in the right things. Why so many students worry about CAA? Were you admitted to study or to jam the roads and enjoy being beaten? If this is the case, you can beat yourself up in the college and forget the loss of public property. Its shameful to see a bus burning in the middle of the road. Why so many youngsters worry about quotas? Are you scared of working hard? Don't tell me you need an identity in the crowd. Because if you think this is the way, you have already lost it. This new year, I wish to see India accepting everything with a smile and protesting like a human. It's good to raise your voice in a democracy but in a subtle way. This new year I wish to see people joining hands in eradicating the national and environmental challenges. Nobody is as worried about plastic as they are about their quotas and religion. Even though plastic is littrally damaging your body up to down and killing you. Religion is very personal. It's better everyone just keep it that way. We, as a country have so many people with so much energy. We as a country are capable of so much but just protesting and creating violence. You chose them in parliament. Let them do their job and you do yours. The point is everybody cannot be happy at all times. Maybe it is not according to me but you are more than happy with it. Or do you protest when your father does not allow you to do something? Is it that you burn your house and beat your father? If this is the case, then it's alright. But if not, just think about the work you have come to do and are doing. It is 2020. Somebody spent half his life just creating awareness about his vision. The vision 2020. Somebody wrote a book India 2020. He was a great man. He looked forward to see India as a developed nation in 2020 and look what India is upto in 2020. I feel disrespect towards him. It is a new year. I hope to see a new start. I hope to see a new beginning.