Broken roads, perverted politics and monumental corruption, is there anything to be proud about being an Indian?” shouted my friend when we were struggling to find our way along a dirty pathway. Unfortunately, we often hear cries of self-flagellation when it comes to opinions about our nation. To counter this, we need to turn back for a while. It is imperative for every citizen to recount the journey of their nation state to understand the country’s past, present and future.
When most of the civilisations were born amidst the trumpets of war, ours was born with a message of peace. Ours was the only piece of land from where the inclusive idea of Yaathum oorey, yaavarum kelir (Vasudhaiva kutumbakam) marched across the planet. This is how our journey began.
How many of us know that ancient India had contributed to science? Our science was never about guided missiles and misguided men. It was about the promotion of public good. Recent research works prove that the idea of storing water in a copper vessel is an outstanding proof of our ancient wisdom. Of course, I’m referring to our grandma’s seppu paathiram ( our common copper kitchen utensils).
Do we realise that we were the one who taught this world the art of absorbing differences? When we observe today that many West Asian nations are rattled by religious violence, little do we pause to realise that our nation sleeps peacefully with a multitude of religions. We ought not to forget that we have been the source of insightful philosophies and epics that shook the world from its slumber. The classics Ramayana and Mahabharata are two mighty literary works depicting the travails of human life. Whenever our moral compass dwindles, we have our Thirukkural to set it right. One last piece of the pie, our science of yoga, is increasingly becoming relevant to the contemporary times.
So was it all rosy all the time? Certainly not. At times, with caste and communal divisions, we were concocting an explosive cocktail. But during every such dark hour, this land produced some of the tallest minds.
We need to realise that this pattern of reformation will continue in our glorious march to the future. When our nation is rising as a superpower, let the world not lie to us that our nation building is ‘a rags-to-riches story’; rather we need to tell the world that we are ‘an empire that is striking back’. Let us walk with our heads held high.