Sanjeev Kumar's Blog

Life story of an "Indian"

9/2/2012

I don't write on topics like this but I felt intrigued to write this article, what makes some one Indian really if it has to be born in India or if it is something to just to have lived in India.

In this article I will write about few Indians as an example. But before I do so, lets begin with birth of the Indian.

Indians are know around the world for their culture. Colorful lifestyle as reflected the third popular thing about India is Bollywood.

When someone is born in India he or she is born without any religion, society or culture. Let us suppose the little Indian kid born is a boy.When he grows up he starts notices the world around, the people around him are talking about some culture thing which is taught by his parents. The kid is growing up and notices the people around him and he takes/adapts the moral values of the environment he grows in; some moral values also comes from his parents or grand parents, his elders.

(Today, 30th of August,2011 India's population has reached close to 1.22 billion, If you have been to populated cities of India like New Delhi or Mumbai you would definitely get in a situation when there is not even space to stand on two feet.)

Now, when the boy has grown up to teenage, he notices their are few girls and boys, so he finds it hard to find a partner to hang out with. Some are lucky but not everyone is born with luck.

The Indian society or the culture has a mind set biased that only a boy can take the generation of his father ahead. And girl child is usually looked as if a burden no matter if she is the mother or sister or wife. But that's not where it all ends, people that forms the Indian societies and culture also points out that it is the mother who is responsible for the birth of whether it is boy or girl. And then again if a girl is born she is again treated like a burden.

I know times are changing and people are now learning that their daughters are not like a foreign property(पराया धन), still their are some places in India where ill treatment or harassment with women takes place.

The boy is grown up to an adult and he learns about the ugly truth of the society and finds why their are few girls it is because his elders generations who came before him practiced female foeticide.

As an Indian (grown up in India) he also learns about another ugly truth but accepts as his elderly did, to get in rat race of making money no matter it comes by cheating (may it be citizens of his country or his own family members)or some malpractices. And in that crowd he gets lost and finally grows up as an adult with a corrupt minded thug. But not everyone is like that, their are few Indians who grows up in India and are not corrupt and instead some do fight against corruption like today in these days I mostly hear about Anna Hazare or Arvind Kejriwal and some like me who are writing and have not stood up because they are busy in earning having a low income for living.

Now I would Introduce you with some people, maybe not well known to you those Indians who have done something extra-ordinary:

K.R. Sridhar

K.R. Sridhar was awarded a bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering from the National Institute of Technology at Tiruchirappalli, India in 1982. He moved to the United States in the 1982s and gained a M.S. in nuclear engineering and a PhD in mechanical engineering from the University of Illinois at Urban-Campaign.
K.R. Sridhar had shown to the world his Bloom Box which is the most talked about fuel cell-based energy source of 2010. The project was started about eight years ago with a capital of about $400 million. The media was taken aback by the press conference in Silicon Valley with people like California governor Arnold Schwarzenegger as part of the crowd.

Kalpana Chawla NASA Astranaut

Kalpana Chawla ( Born in Karnal, India on July 1, 1961 – February 1, 2003) was an Indian-American astronaut who, was a mission specialist on the space shuttle Columbia. Her interest in flight was inspired by J. R. D. Tata , India's first pilot. She first flew on the Columbia in 1997 as a mission specialist and primary robotic arm operator. Chawla was one of seven crew members killed in the Space Shuttle Columbia disaster. (.... Read more about Kalpana Chawla)

Prof. Susmita Bose, @ WSU

Susmita Bose lead researcher began in 2000 to develop the first artificial open-celled cancellous bone model using materials such as polyurethane-based polymers, ceramic powders, and organic solvents. This research is funded by Washington Technology Center.(Read more on BBC.CO.UK)

A few bunch at CERN who are working on Large Hadron Collider at Geneva.Well, at the current times their aren't many doing the real thing, I mean something that can revolutionize the world. And yes these guys I mentioned above has done remarkable job, but did you noticed non of them did it in India. Certainly they do have love for India, but they are doing research and development in other countries. All we can take is the credit of being proud Indian, but proud of what just because they were born in India, I am sorry that would be too much of obsession with patriotism, the development they did is not just for an Indian but it is for the people of whole world.

Now, What about the Indians in India, the little boy who grew up who got lost in the crowd don't you remember him, well who does and who will, there are so many people who get lost in the race of survival, most of the Indians have spent their whole life doing struggle and just living each day so that they can go office and earn to live another day. Yes! what I meant is life of Indian is full of struggle, a country where their is corruption at every level ask people who get on roads for protest they are the common man who is really frustrated from corruption.

But that's not all, corruption comes in different way you wont believe, India might be the only country where people use God's name to make money and India might be the only country where educated illiterates exists. I meant with those educated people who with their open eyes trust some one blindly and give all their money in the name of God as a donation. It is too easy for some people to foolishly following some idiotic mantra specially in the name of God, we the people should be very caution from such thugs. And these thugs exist because India is a religious country and such people take advantage of people's mindset and belief in God.

Beside just joining the crowd blindly without giving it a serious thought their are many other things I felt among people, Ask yourself how safe do you feel while you are on road, Ahh, I know everyone has got somewhat same answer, nobody really feels safe because everyone driving is in a hoard to over take the car(or any vehicle) in front him. Well even if their are sighs to drive slow or some traffic rules nobody bothers to read. But its not that nobody bothers the traffic rules or if nobody has time, but its actually nobody in India has habit of reading.

It is really true, if you don't believe me you can try doing an experiment with your friend without telling him, you don't have to be on road you can do the reading experiment right at your home. All you have to be is tricky which I know you are!!!

Corruption is not all that has taken the economy down but their are other factors like too much of obsession with being religious or too much of wealth is spent on entertainment, you can see their are so many entertainment channels on TV but their are only4-8 education TV channels if you don't know go check out the set top box you own. That's not all their are more channels broadcasting religious programmes and very few showing some educational programme.

Let me give a second thought to the current scenarios why even someone has to be showing up educational programmes or channels when all people want to do is just earn money and fill pockets by hook or by crook, so from that observation/ or my realization I settled to this that In India one doesn't have to be educated to be rich/wealthy person, Their are so many examples out their. An educated person doesn't have any value in comparison to the the one who is dressed up to look good even if his mean, corrupt or some idiot.

From my experience in life, I have learned doing a comparison between two can be terrible thing to do specially when it comes to tell that you are not good and this is not right because even if you are right and if you are among the minority.

Compared India with how it is to be waling on road in Canada, it feels crazy out here. Nobody cares about anyone, the first good thing to see in Canada is when a vehicle stops to give way to pedestrians crossing road, where as in India the car driver might even hit you if not step his/here car tyre over your feet.

Walls here in India are full of ads/hoarding, the only place in India i found still cleaner then any other place is Chandigarh can't say Chandigarh is the only best city because I have not visited whole of India.

Too much of pointing out, lets get to the story of an Indian, we are suffering for one single reason and that is "India is very highly populated in terms of land available". well why because we never took it seriously, some of us specially the generations who came before us were not educated or were ignorant of the fact what would happen , "so we are living the mistakes our elders made" but now though people are being educated but time will take for the consequences and also to keep in mind have we learned anything from their mistakes.

(to be continued)

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