India "In-dependance?"
Long years ago we made a tryst with destiny, and now the time comes when we shall redeem our pledge, not wholly or in full measure, but very substantially. At the stroke of the midnight hour, when the world sleeps, India will awake to life and freedom. A moment comes, which comes but rarely in history, when we step out from the old to the new, when an age ends, and when the soul of a nation, long suppressed, finds utterance. - Jawaharlal Nehrus famous speech of 14th Aug 1947.
The soul, once long suppressed, today is one which is suffocating in the so called independence that the nation has gained. Indians, once proud of their country, even under the rule of the British, are today ashamed of the route their country has taken. Nehrus so called dream is still a dream and his words meaningless.
Letting India free, he forgot that he needs to play a bigger role, than just write inspiring speeches. A wordsmith more than a leader, if he had only been in the company of some true leaders like Mr. Lee Kwan Yew, the founder and first Prime Minister of Singapore, we would today, probably be a country others would look to for inspiration.
With the 50 years of independence that India has had, the question arises, does it now need a dictator? Do the politicians need to be given a boot and the people taught the basic values through command? Is it time for some of the rights and freedoms to be taken away and the rules of nursery to be put into action?
An ardent admirer of Lee Kwan Yew, I can confidently say a dictator in his form would probably do us wonders.
The first time I came to Singapore, the city, to the foreigners, was a joke. The neverending rules and the "silly" laws were, according to them, the result of a "jobless" government which had nothing better to do than clean the underside of flyovers and if given a choice would even fine people for sneezing. In the beginning, even I joined in with the laugh brigade, making puns at the government at the smallest of instances.
Today, after spending months in this country I cant help but wonder, are we actually laughing at them or are we trying to cover up for people laughing at us? Do we think the Singaporean government is jobless or do we know ours is over burdened because it doesnot do its job? Starting on a higher pedestal 50 years back, in comparison to Singapore, today it is difficult to find even one indicator which could put us in comparatively better off position.
