Is India shining?

Call it destiny or design, I have been having the same cab driver for the last couple of trips. Few weeks ago, I caught him listening to Osho while waiting for me. When asked, he said he finds it entertaining. Ever since then, we have converted our 45-minute ride a way into quite a confounding discussion oriented ride. The cabbie comes from a meager background and has never been exposed to the fun of high levels of education. Hence calling his ideas, as intellectual orgasmic explosions would be exuberance for the sophisticated. I find his talks to be fundamendalistic. He has raised the points that many of us would have shied away from – why isn’t India rising?

In the last few years, we have heard many slogans – “India shining”, “Aam Aadmi ko kya mila”, “Acche din aane waley hain”, or “Aam aadmi”. Yet, the commona man in India is still waiting the better days, wondering what did they get or when would they be able to shine? The situation has worsened for the females in India. The rising sex crimes of various capacities have only weakened their position in the society. Can you believe it – 50% of mankind is at the receiving end of what a few called – development? I simply do not get this. If it is development, it has to be for all. How can it be targeted towards a few while walking backwards for others? In such a case, I call it development of one at the expense of the other!

My bringing up the cabbie at the very start was for a reason. The cabbie has had been in the trucking industry and has driven trucks all across India and USA. The truckers have had an reputation of being involved or being a customer of a rather infamous industry – prostitution. They have had been the avid users of the flesh – male or female as the taste may be. Still, I found them respectful of the individuals and the choices they had. My cabbie has expressed his hate towards the female oriented violence and has always questioned the case of developing India. Despite of the words that my cabbie would have spoken about many individuals, I am sure he would never have invaded their privacy or their choices. He would never have enforced himself upon someone to rove his prowess or satiate himself without his or her consent.

To add to the point, I saw yet another dark movie - "Matrubhoomi" - focussed on female foeticide. The movie extrapolated the problems to a level that leads to disgust. I am sure I never wanted this society.

All the development that India has made, has been dwarfed by the setback that the mankind has been through. We may have solved the greatest diplomatic issues, yet we have failed to acknowledge the domestic and the prevalent issues that question the very fabric of Indian society. At this juncture, I am not sure if I feel comfortable raising my daughters in a place that worships Shakti, fasts for nine days to impress Devi, yet rapes her to prove its own supremacy! Whether it is the untamed, illiterate Indian  or highly educated sophisticated Indian businessman or even the God-man who influences the whole society? Every strata has had their own exemplars when it came to the crimes towards women. 

The bewildering thought occurred to me just when we concluded the "Navratri vrat" to appease the Devi. Like many others, me too visited the temple, offered prayers and gifts to the Goddess requesting her blessing. Trust me, I am not a great follower. I am told, that there are many who follow the Goddess. and some follow her like their own mothers. I wonder, how could a society that worships the Goddess, disrobes her or even disreputes her to a level that driver her off to extinction.  

All of this has made me ponder over the reasons behind the dark actions and the though process behind the societal actions that have become a daily news items. What’s even more disturbing is the fact that though these are appearing daily with increased monstrosity, there isn’t enough uproar against these. People rose against an incident a few years back, and then complacency took better of them. Knowing myself, I know I need to get to the bottom of this – in my own way. I must find the reason behind this. Help me, if you will!