I refused to come down for a flag hoisting this 15th with everyone else simply for 2 reasons and I was branded unpatriotic and heretic straightaway. Except the flag hoisting all that happened there was a leaf out of the party book type events. You have sweets, a few 'patriotic' filmy songs and few ads and lots of chit chatter. the whole atmosphere was nothing to remind you of the day. The second reason being whatever feeling I have there, i don't believe in exhibiting only to a superficial event. If not being jingoistic is unpatriotic, I prefer to lie low.
I stay far away from home in land of the populist culture and home country associations are a major source of motivation and company. But, somewhere down the lane a lot of things that need to be remembered are forgotten and a lot of waste is uploaded to replace them. I will never know the value of being a slave and getting freedom for the simple reason I was born free, for which I am grateful and happy. I empathize with all my ancestors who had been through it but will never be able to feel it. So what does it mean to be patriotic then ?
As our generation woke up to the independence that was constructed from an earlier one, our respect or our pledge should not be to just manually repeat these ritualistic procedures of worshiping the flag but to add more color to it. As I am free, I have to free those who still aren't and those who are grasping for it-kids. Kids as those who are working while their wealthier and luckier same age counterparts are at school flag hoisting while they all work 2 square meals, or those who are so impoverished that they cant go to school even though they want to learn, or those who are begging for food, or those parent-less orphans who need some light in their lives
Adopt a kid, help child laborers break their thralldom, teach under privileged kids to make them literate. These are the things that can define our patriotism, not flag hoisting or singing songs.
Dingo dolfeee
Dingo dolfeee
