EK CUP CHAI

A friend recently made a complaint to me: While Major Manish Pitambare laid his life fighting against terrorists in Kashmir, our news channels were broadcasting how Sanjay Dutt was acquitted of ‘Terrorist Charges’. He said that we don’t respect our soldiers enough, and that men who held guns should be punished, rather than advertised. Here is my reaction to his writeup.

There are hundreds of people who inspire us… with various things. And knowingly or unknowingly we are curious about them. The foremost for Indians are Indian Cricketers (or should I say BCCI cricketers) and film stars. It was being discussed in Parliament for various reasons including making sure that Sharad Pawar (President of NCP) gets some bashing.

We elect our politicians, and we deserve everything they do to us – from not discussing military to making India corrupt.

Fact is that most number of innocent people in Kashmir (since its inception into Independent India) have been killed by none other than Indian Military (Arundhati Roy’s An Ordinary Person’s Guide to Empire).

A Military Officer has given his life to make sure that India isn’t harmed by a militant, and we call him a hero. Please note that the militants group will also call their fellow militant a hero. It is just that we believe in different philosophies. Unfortunately, all our philosophies are based on our conditioning.

Our conditioning says that women should be at home, families should be together, gods and demons exist, find a job, have children etc etc etc etc. Just because a military officer and a militant have been subjected to conditionings they are on the opposite side. Fact is they both are KILLERS. And if one doesn’t kill the other, the other will kill this one.

Fact is both are doing their jobs. The jobs have been given to them by different OFFICERs and POLITICIANS who have been elected (by people like us). Or some such politicians force others to elect them (because people like us are not strong enough).

Sanjay Dutt was doing his job to get out of his troubles. Just try and get glimpse of military officers who are doubted in War Room Leak case. They will be doing their best to get out of the case as well. The news people do their job. If you don’t like it, you switch off the channels or filter news in a nice way so that you completely understand what that news means.

Say for example:
If someone says, that Saurav Ganguly’s experience is needed in ODI cricket, we should understand that people like Sehwag and Bhajji are doing their best so that India loses and some short coming can be found. And if the same time Politicians make a hash of it in the Parliament, all we need to understand that Ganguly, politicians, Sehwag, Bhajji are all involved. Or that all these things will result in Ganguly’s inclusion or that they are all different things need to be seen that way.

But who cares…we like fast conclusions rather than finding questions to be answered.

Well, Parliamentarians were doing there job. They were talking about the MOST INSPIRING thing for most Indians(i’m not generalizing it, it is a fact, i think many Indians will tell you the same answer). Greg Chappel is doing his job as well. All are doing their jobs well (Of course, except me…I’m writing this in Officer Hours).

Seeing negatives in one is fine, but finding faults without actually understanding things, just because you happen to know ‘history’ is wrong.

All I want is that all of us to understand that in going with the flow we judge someone saying someone is RIGHT and some one is WRONG.

Judging someone, based on what someone else has achieved is always a biased decision. It is an unnecessary (and a convenient) comparison. From comparison comes, competition. No wonder, teenagers hang themselves in hostel rooms unable to get over this stupid thing called “comparison and competition”.

Just because a military officer has given his life, why should Sanjay Dutt be not allowed to appeal or why should TV news cover that. That’s his legal right, as much as say, a Manu Sharma in Jessica Lall’s case. Otherwise Democracy and Free Will do not exist. That’s what I wanted to say.

If India and Indians have to raise above these conditions, then probably we are expecting PERFECTION. Honestly PERFECTION needs to perfected by time. Lets change, every moment, try and see things WHOLLY and then judge. If we make our ONE sided judgements and feelings our bosses, we will end up being only a SO CALLED DEMOCRACY not an exact DEMOCRACY.

Let us salute those who have brought Television to India, or those who thought of Constitution. Lets salute the judicial system that allows Judgment for all, even for a Manu Sharma. Let us be inspired by a person who has been playing cricket for 17 years and is still not tired(though plays awfully more often). Let us be inspired by a drug addict who submitted himself to few BHAIS and probably is trying to make a come back to life.

If we do not salute them and do not feel inspired by them, then we have no right to salute a MILITARY OFFICER, who has died to make sure that many such Drug Addicts, will come back to Normal Life and inspire ordinary people like us, who only have one way to go – secured and a conditioned life.

Let us all appreciate the smaller achievements of life, otherwise, life in present moment is so small that it is gone even before you realize.

But in the end I have question is it really Sanjay Dutt vs Major Manish Pitambare

OR

Us vs Our Lifeless Side?

Somebody should tell me…