Independence Day Greetings to all the fellow Indians!  The non-violent like Gandhi, the moderates like Nehru, the extremists (not today’s version) like Bhagat Singh, all fought valiantly for India’s freedom from British rule. Their struggles and sacrifices bore fruit and India won its independence at last on the midnight of August 14, 1947.  “Power will go to the hands of rascals, rogues and freebooters. All Indian leaders will be of low calibre and men of straw. They will have sweet tongues and silly hearts. They will fight amongst themselves for power and India will be lost in political squabbles.”  These are the words attributed to Winston Churchill. If he did indeed say them, it just shows that he knew more about Indians than the Indians knew themselves. It is painful to be negative on this festive occasion, but one can’t turn one’s face from the truth.   How is it that India, the birthplace of so many religions, a land of saints and seers has been reduced to this hapless state? Centuries of spirituality are ingrained within us; integrity and righteousness should have been our strength.  We usually blame our leaders and politicians; it is true that there is nothing worthwhile to be said about the virtue and competence of our politicians. However, we can’t place all the problems of our country at their door. Didn’t we elect them? Aren’t they our representatives? After all, we get the leaders we deserve!  It is very easy from the outside to hold politicians responsible for every conceivable ill. We take the moral high ground when there are instances of corruption in the government and bureaucracy but what would we have done in their place? Probably … [Read more...]