Patriotism.............and me????

After Rang De Basanti, there is much talk about patriotism in the present context and the ideals of Indian youth. Some students here have even made a documentary of the subject, the details of which are available @ 10plus3i.blogspot.com

Wait, did I say patriotism???What is patriotism??? Is it the fervor with which we speak about the glorious past of our country?? Is it the respect we have for freedom fighters like Bose, Bhagat Singh, Gandhiji, etc?? Is it singing the national anthem and standing to attention on Republic Day or I-Day?? Is it cheering for Dhoni and Tendulkar, who play with such skill against Pakistan and manage to prevent the ball from hitting the stumps?? Or is it standing up for the unsung and unknown who, not far away, are striving hard to prevent the bullet from hitting their bodies??

Whatever it is, many a times, I have felt this incessant urge to do something for my motherland....Something, which will leave a mark on this world. It comes sans any hint whatsoever and by the time my neurons work in unison to arrive at the conclusion that you can do nothing at this stage, the initial vigour is hard to find. There you are, destined to be the same person who didnt care for his country......

The last time, it was different. I thought and thought and had this million dollar question in front of me : What can the elite group of students, who graduate from the premier technical institutions of the country do???

One burning isssue today is brain drain, that which deprives a country of its original potential and makes it subservient to other countries. As the future generation of this country, why cant we do something about it?? Yes, after all, we can......We can take a resolution to give back something to our country with the skill and expertise we have acquired. We should not give way to temptations: the lucrative income, better means of living and the endless other benefits that a job outside India offers.

This is what I feel patriotism is all about. Atleast, it is one part of it......Friends, if you can speak with authority and pride about being patriotic, try putting the above words into action....See the difference.....

Hail Fridays!!!

Today, I took the New Indian Express in my hands, hoping to read something interesting....and I found out that today was the 4th anneversary of "EYE", the sunday supplement. It had a whole lot of articles about Sundays, with even Preity Zinta having her say. I was dismayed! How can people like Sundays????

Let me tell you a story....Once there was this nut called Buddhuram who was better known as the fool in town....One day, he and his friends went on a little picnic...to a temple on the top of a hill...When they were going up the hill, our guy seemed very happy when the others were sweating and blaming the heat.....He was having a gay time...They somehow reached the top and after the darshan, started to descend....This time, you should have seen Buddhuram....He was sad and seemed to be coming to pieces...He looked tired and exhausted....
The curiosity got the better of one of his friends who asked him:"How could you enjoy the climb up and be tired on the way down??".....To which, our friend replied:"While going up, I was thinking of the way down...Naturally, I was elated ..... Now, I am thinking how hard it would be for someone who is going up......" Again, he became the laughing stock of the group...

Well, did you get the connection???? "TO HELL WITH SUNDAYS!!"...
Friday is the best day in the week...Oh! The sheer joy of expecting two holidays after a week of classes..... Planning the amount of hours we will be putting into that most joyous thing on earth:sleeping, Deciding the most happening place in the city for hanging out on Saturday....The Friday night premiere in the computer or the telivision....The list is endless.
Come Saturday, and we already start thinking of the next week...The never ending lists of assignments, tutorials, and God knows what!!! Saturday is sandwiched between the best and worst days of the week...which makes it a bad day indeed.........
Come Sunday, and there Monday is, with a smile in its face, beckoning you to face the harsh realities of life.....You feel like giving it a miss, but you cant....You cant stop thinking about the hard things that the week has in store for you......You cant stop thinking of the hours of sleep and joy you are gonna miss the whole week....You cant help cursing the day!!!
The fact is, I can't imagine going on when there are no more expectations. Who can dare say that at some time or other, you havent found the wait more gratifying than the real episode??? So, the next time you look forward to enjoy a Sunday, think again......Think what Buddhuram had to say....