Republic Day - What Does It Mean?

A chorus of young kids singing our national anthem woke me up this morning. It didn't take much time out of my early moments of the day for me to realize that it was the republic day flag hoisting being performed out a few yards from my bedroom window. The 26th of January and 15th of August are the two days that are pretty close to me. They remind me of my novice days as one of the school going lads standing in a queue on the school playground in neat, pressed white uniforms waiting for the chocolates to be distributed. India is our country and all Indians are our brothers and sisters were what we pledged immediately after our school prayer. We said it and we did it all for the sake of a mandate. Today, after a long unexpected midnight support call from the client, all that matters is that it is a holiday. The Republic day has always gifted us - with sweets to the kids and a lazy holiday for working professionals, hasn't it? Sad and true.

More than six decades after independence, seems to be an ample time in the life of young India. Lives have changed and continue to change. Our schedules are busier in the attempts to sustain our own self. This is the time when things are getting real difficult and the situation is getting only worse with the passage of time. The lessons of fraternity and brotherhood have been long forgotten into the pages of the history of the freedom struggle. In a time when it is difficult to protect our own families from getting scattered, how easy is it to think about the country?

Patriotism has gained a new meaning and a newer way of expression. It is exhibited by swaying tricolor flags on the vehicles and motor bikes on the republic and independence days, which is over a day getting replaced by the flags of political parties. It is all about hoisting, saluting and wearing the paper-made tricolor on the national days and later disposing it off recklessly among the other bits of paper. It is about bearing the inconvenience of terrorist attacks on our cities, feeling and seeing the blood of our neighbors spilled around and hoping that things will be fine the next day. It is about watching the political scandals over the news channels and taking it for granted as politics. It is about finding it worthless to cast our votes on the Election Day. It is about considering it as a part of process to bribe the government official in order to get a timely delivery of your marriage certificate. It is about finding it a nuisance to stand up for the national anthem after buying an expensive multiplex movie ticket for the flick you were long trying to catch up with. It is about singing the national song without really understanding the meaning of it.

Today we are celebrating the 61st Republic Day of India, the day when India wrote and implemented its constitution. It is time we ask a small question to ourselves as to what significance it really has had within our lives. In this age where the creamy layered are more passionate about foreign citizenships, whereas the poor is endlessly battling and blaming the circumstances, is it fine to say that we are truly republic?

Gifted Kids of the Perfectionist Moms

This post has been published by me as a part of the Blog-a-Ton 6; the fifth edition of the online marathon of Bloggers; where we decide and we write. To be part of the next edition, visit and start following Blog-a-Ton.

It was a lovely Sunday afternoon but eleven year old Joel had no time to relax. He was fine with all the examinations he had given so far. Yesterday, it was History but his young mind was very much aware that it was the actual history of each passing day which was going to affect his final grades. As soon as he was back after his History examination yesterday, Mom had handed over the Mathematics text-book to him. She had taken an ample deal of precaution in order to strategically place his study table away from the window so as to prevent loss of his time in unnecessary peeks outside the room. Mathematics was his nightmare and his perfectionist mother took no chance to lose a moment of his time in things that are not absolutely necessary. She was happy about the fact that she was able to use her entire holiday to teach him some useful stuff in order to prepare him for his examination the following day.

"Mom, Can I have a glass of water please?", Joel asked as he took off his head from the solution his Mom was trying to explain him.

She looked back at her son in dismay. She was able to feel his inattentiveness and was feeling really bad about it. He studied his mother's expressions and then recollected the thrash of the wooden scale he had in his back an hour back. Just to avoid annoying her mother again, Joel was unable to stick to his question any further.

"Sorry Mom, I don't need water", Joel said as he immediately hooked up his head down into the book.

"Look Son, it's your Mathematics paper tomorrow - the one in which you are very weak in. You had a glass of water just twenty minutes back when you got up for a pee. Do you feel that I am doing all this for me?", she asked.

"But I am really thirsty this time Mom!", Joel exclaimed.

"This time? What do you mean by this time? Weren't you thirsty last time?", the mother was almost furious now. Little Joel realized the mistake he had committed by uttering the last sentence.

"I am ruining my holiday here just to get you prepared for your examination and you are finding ways to waste your time?", she almost burst out loud.

"It's not that Mom!", Joel said as he tried to calm down her furious mother.

"Shut up Joel! It was just because of your this attitude that you were ranked Second in the last Semester examination. I don't want to give your father a second chance to blame me for the mistakes you commit. Am I making it very clear now?", she asked.

"But I am done with HCF and LCM Mom...", Joel said as he tried to clarify his side.

"Now, Will you please stop arguing and complete the section B of this model question paper until I return from the kitchen?", she seemed adamant. Poor Joel had no other option than to continue with the piece of work his mother had assigned to him.

It was six in the evening when little Joel finished his job. It was just then he could hear the yells of the neighboring kids playing his favorite ball game. Realizing that he was alone in the room, he decided to have a peek off the window curtain. It was Sunil who was playing the goal keeper, he noticed. He wished he could join them but all he lacked was the guts to ask for a permission. Poor Joel kept on watching them, playing the game until he was caught by his Mom.

"You won't mind letting your parents down Joel, would you?", asked his frustrated Mom.

"Mumma, Look Sunil's playing downstairs too. Can I play with them just for an hour please?", Joel pleaded.

"Today, no way Joel. How can you forget that you were ranked Second last examination just due to a couple of marks lesser than Sunil? This time is priceless dear and I am sure that you would never want to loose it", she said as she tried to calm her temper down and handed a glass of warm milk to him.

Joel wasn't happy about it. He emptied the glass till the last drop. He gave the glass back to his Mom as he found his way back to the study table. He continued his study exercises for a few more hours until he was called off by his Dad for dinner.

Minutes later, the trio was fast asleep.

It was a bright sunny evening the next day when the school bus dropped Joel home. His mother was waiting for his arrival impatiently. As the door bell rang, she opened the door hastily and with a crave to read her son's expressions.

Joel entered straight inside the drawing room without taking out a moment of his time to look at her mother.

"How was your paper Joel?", she asked impatiently.

Joel looked back at her in disgust. "Not bad Mom; but it would have been better if we would have followed the examination timetable", Joel shrugged.

"What do you mean by that?", she asked with a puzzled look.

"It was the Computer theory and not Mathematics examination today Mom", he said as he banged his bag on the table and entered the kitchen for a glass of water. She watched him emptying one glass after the other as she stood right there, transfixed and spellbound.

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