Jago India

There are two categories of citizens in this democratic country. VIPs and UIPs. Very important persons and Unimportant persons. Thank god that there are no categories in between these two, like LIP (Little important person) or SIP (Some important person) etc. This single word ‘VIP’ has made the entire population of this country, numbering well over a billion, unimportant. 

I think that initially, ‘VIP’ title would have been meant for the President and Prime Minister of this country. After some time all central  ministers must have also declared themselves  VIPs. A little later  babus in states must have bestowed this title on the Chief Minister and ministers in the state cabinets. Side by side all MPs must have also jumped into this bandwagon. Then top elements of babudom, armed forces and judiciary etc. must have also quietly slipped in.

How can a few select people be important and rest all unimportant. Who decides whether a person is important or unimportant.

It is said that the constitution of India grants equal rights to all its citizens. But on probing a little, it is found that in  Indian Constitution this right of equality  has been described as:

“The State shall not discriminate against any citizen on grounds only of religion, race, caste, sex, place of birth or any of them.”

From the above clause it appears that state can discriminate against a citizen on the grounds of his being an Unimportant Person, and so discrimination of state against an Unimportant Person is not illegal in this country.

I am not fully aware, but it can be safely assumed that  these Very Important Persons would have given themselves (from the money collected from a billion Unimportant persons of this country) at least some benefits like huge bungalows, army of servants, special electricity and water lines where load shedding or dry taps or gutter water in taps, would be an unthinkable thing. Roads in their areas would not have known pot holes, which is a brand mark of this country.

But one thing on which they all are so passionate about, is their ‘Personal security’. All of them insist on a large number of armed guards around them (24×7).

Even high ranking army and police commanders, who are supposed to be protecting and guarding the citizens of this country, move out only when there are a large number of guards around them, to protect them. These VIPs have no faith in the capabilities of the normal police and military, who are supposed to be protecting the lives of citizens of this country.  

Why are they so scared? Have they done something terribly wrong?  Though some of them are known to be hard core criminals, also murderers.

But nation should question. Why is their security so important? Will there be a huge loss to this country if any of them gets killed unprotected? Will the loss be irreparable? Will the country come to a stand still? Will the sky fall?

Those who are witness to pre-Nehru era in this country know what influence Pt. Jawaharlal Nehru had on the mind of Indian public. He virtually ruled the minds and hearts of every Indian of that time. Perhaps new generation cannot understand now, but India without Nehru was unthinkable at that time. On that fateful day of 27^th May 1964 (his death), India was stunned into silence. It came to a stand still. Light of the nation went off. When returned to its senses after sometime, nation wept like a child who has lost his father. There was only one question in every body’s mind. What would happen to India now.

But Gulzarilal Nanda  and later Lal Bahadur Shastri took charge of the situation and the jammed wheels of country slowly started grinding again. After some time, the nation accepted the reality and went about its normal business. Proving the hard fact of life, that nobody is indispensable.

So a very important question we ‘Unimportant persons’ should ask ourselves is why is that our hard earned money is being spent on protecting these ‘Very Important Persons’. Why is a good amount of nation’s meager resources spent on this wasteful exercise. Even persons who move around with tags of honesty and prudence on their chests, like our Prime Minister and Defense Minister, are also totally blind  of this broad day loot, right under their noses.

If anything has to be done on this important matter, it will have to be done by we the ‘Unimportant persons’ only. Because if you will go to your political leader, he or she is a VIP. If you will go to President, she is a VIP. If you will go to higher judiciary, they also are VIPs. If you will go to human rights Commissioner, he also is a VIP. So no help can be expected from any of these quarters, on this matter.

Now after writing this article, what will happen to my security? Unimportant persons (common man) are otherwise also left with hardly any security in this country, as all the security forces meant for his protection have been diverted to protect VIPs.

A mischievous campaign is being launched that India is going to be a super power in this number of years, and that it is going to be a world leader in that number of  years, and so on and so forth. 

The sad fact is that India is still a sea of poverty and illiteracy. Most of its cities and towns are showcases of total neglect, apathy and mis-governess. There is absolutely no concern in any relevant quarter, to the growing monster of population increase, particularly in those sections of society who cannot educate or even feed their children. After sixty years of independence, vast areas of this country get flooded every year and houses and livelihood of millions of very poor people are  destroyed. Fate of this country is still dependent on rain gods and entire rain water that it gets, is presented to the sea god, leaving the fields dry and empty, and population hungry. A huge part of the population of this country has no access to tap water (even though the taps in posh areas of this county also dispense un-potable water, that too only for a few hours of the day), electricity and sewage systems. There is no system of cleaning the streets and roads  in vast areas. This country cannot not find a few hundred honest people, who can man airports efficiently and  not cheat our guests, who come from abroad, thinking it to be a good country. There is no need to see the position of this country on corruption  index of the world. A vast majority of the population is skilled enough to be unskilled labours only. Can such a mismanaged country depending on rain gods for its food, with growing illetrate and poor population be a world leader.

All this talk of India becoming a ‘World leader’  is a myth, intentionally promoted by the quarters who were/are supposed to deliver but have not delivered. To divert the attention of Indian public from the pain they are bearing and shall continue to bear. It is a plot to fool the people. So that they do not get so frustrated that they start dismantling a system, that is so useful to these quarters, but has not benefitted this country. 

Though having a self confidence is a good thing, but over looking ones weaknesses and unnecessarily boasting, can prove to be a disaster to an individual’s and also a country’s future. An individual, and so also a country cannot become great unless and until it recognizes its weaknesses and tries to get over those weaknesses and  shortcomings. 

Indians as nation will have to first recognize and accept their shortcoming and try to remove these. Then only can they think of taking some respectable place in the world map.  

Those of us who really want to take this country forward should come together and try to find solution of following gigantic problems of this country: 

1. Uncontrolled growth of population, particularly in those sections who cannot take proper care of  their children.
2. Taking care of children who are already there.
3. Food security of the country.
4. Corruption in public life.
5. Water management.
6. Sanitation and health care services.