January 26th: Not just any other gazetted holiday!

The brave fought for our freedom, the brave continue to maintain the status quo. What is this Republic Day that we celebrate year after year?

On 26th January, 1950, the constitution of India came into force and thus India became an independent and democratic republic. Now, what does this imply? Well, it implies a lot more than the much awaited parade and sporting traditional wear in tri-colour at workplace and sharing the same on social networking sites. Yes, Indians ooze out patriotism twice a year, once on Republic Day and then on the Independence day, the rest of the year their patriotism takes a back-seat. Let's take a look at some of the provisions / consitutional rights and try figuring out if we actually enjoy these rights in the real sense:

RIGHT TO EQUALITY:

Article 14 (Equality before law): Now if this was really in place, the common citizen in India would not have had to struggle to get justice. 'Jiski laathi uski bhains' / 'might is right' has always ruled in the country. We all know how the law and order department and judiciary work in this country. I don't need to further talk about that.

Article 15 (Prohibition of discrimination on grounds of religion,race,caste,sex or place of birth): Indians should stop cribbing about racism abroad when Indians happen to be the biggest racists ever. Politicians have only fostered this problem to a frustrating level.

*Coming to discrimination on the basis of sex: Female infants have as much right to live and enjoy every darn thing a male child has a shot at. Leave alone the illiterates, the literate fools too indulge in this horrible practice. It’s crazy to blame the woman when the father is responsible for the sex of the child. A woman has only one type of chromosomes.  Sex education has always been next to zilch in the country. The fact that I’ve just stated just might educate some literate fools. The rate at which the female foeticide takes place in the country, gay marriages ought to be legalized.

*LGBT's: Their rights are human rights and they are as much the citizens of the country as me and you. About time that people grew some brains and accepted the fact that it's genetic and one doesn't turn homosexual overnight.

*Men and women are equally qualified and the modern woman is not restricted to the household chores. There are no gender specific roles anymore, other than the parenting aspect. About time that men learnt household chores, instead of expecting the women in their lives to take care of their sh**. A male who's man enough knows that he and his partner are equal partners in matrimony.

*The racist, religious, caste nonsense has to be put to an end!

Article 16 (Equality of opportunity in matters of public employment):

*Sexist remarks at work have so got to stop!

*Women are as qualified, as independent and as good as men. Men should get into healthy competition, either prove your mettle or don't complain. The male ego should never play a part, when it comes to competence or ability.

*Equal pay for equal work.

*As much as I'm against ill-treatment on the basis of caste and religion; I'm against nepotism and employment on the basis of caste/religion. Even though our constitution has 'protection of minorities' as one of the rights, it should not have a negative effect on the talent pool. Employment needs to be on the basis of sheer ability. The rest are pure vote-bank tactics.

Article 17 (Abolition of Untouchability):

*There are temples in India where people from the lower castes are not allowed to enter. Absolutely bizarre and something to be ashamed of.

*People from the lower castes can't drink water from an upper caste well in some of the rural areas. How can one be denied water?! That's just pure madness!!

Article 19 (Protection of certain rights regarding freedom of speech, etc):

*The Govt. keeping a tab on social networking sites snatches away your very right of freedom of speech.

*Most Indian families expect daughters-in-law to stay quiet and not express their opinions, even if things are grossly wrong. Now, how is that fair! Qualified or not, the fact that God gave you brains to think and a voice, goes onto say that you SHOULD speak up. Ladies, you have every right to say NO to something that does not gel with your thought process. It's their problem, not yours!

*Citizens have a right to assemble peacefully, without any arms. Crackdowns and baton charge on unarmed decent citizens of the country is against this right. Peaceful protests don’t harm anyone. Our leaders have clearly never bothered to have a dialogue.

Article 20 ( protection in respect of conviction for offences):

The common citizen gets convicted for no fault, while the rich and powerful roam around scott-free. How is that justified? Again, I don't need to comment on how amazing the law and order system in the country is.

Article 21 ( Protection of life and personal liberty):

Law and order is beyond hopeless. Your constitution allows you to do whatever you want, as long as it isn't unlawful. That means, it is nobody’s business to tell you how you should live your own life.

Article 22 (Protection against arrest and detention in certain cases): Similar to article 20, however, equally abused.

Article 23 (Prohibition of traffic in human beings and forced labour):

Practice of bonded labour in households, factories and on farms is still prevalent. Some kids are forced into begging, women into flesh trade. All this becomes a 2 minute news peg on the television. This can come to an end in no time, if the law and order department grew some integrity and got sincere with their work. That’s where the crackdown needs to take place.

Article 24 ( Prohibition of employment of children in factories, etc):

Kids still work as bonded labour in dangerous conditions in cracker and bangle factories for a meagre amount.

COMING TO THE PARADE:

*As much as the music of the National Anthem literally gives goosebumps, how many people believe in doing something for the nation, in all honesty! The parade shows our colourful diverse culture. 'Unity in diversity' is a mere sentence in the civics textbook in schools. We don't need foreigners to cut each others' throats. Fellow Indians are good enough to do so!

*Most Indians feel immense sense of pride hearing about the valour of the men in uniform (only on this day btw), how many of you have ever showed respect to a fellow passenger in uniform or tried to know about his work or helped him? While your ass is safe in your comfortable homes, the men in uniform go through constant ordeal to protect your unworthy asses! Instead of feeling jealous about the fancy lifestyle and comping up with beyond pathetic statements like, 'itna paisa jaata hai Defence mein, kaunsi ladai ho rahi hai' (why waste money on Defence, the war isn't breaking out any time soon', understand that IF the war breaks out, your ass will be on fire and you wouldn't know how to save it and who will come to save you in times of natural calamities? Ever thought of all that?

Understand the tough life they live, the family separation, the extreme weather conditions and tough exercises they undergo to keep themselves prepared for the contingencies. They are the reason why the citizens sleep blissfully in the comfort of their homes, the reason why people still get to enjoy certain rights. A lot of blood and lives have gone into protecting the nation. One shouldn't take any of that for granted.

*People feel immensely proud of the military strength in terms of weapons, I'll feel happy the day everything is manufactured within the country and exported to other nations. Nothing beats self reliance. I'm proud of the indigenous weapons, but we still have a long way to go, not in terms of the talent of the scientists or the funds but the political will to let that happen. The corrupt politicians have their own selfish, corrupt agendas. Brain-drain needs to stop. It's a shame that the country does not value its own people and thus they land up working in NASA and all. Other nations give them their due in terms of both, recognition and monetary aspect, while fellow Indians are busy indulging in cheap politics.

How exactly is these bizarre things considered normal and why isn’t the country republic in the real sense of the word, after years of Independence?

I dream of an India where everyone has a shot at equal opportunities and rights. A nation which is beyond all prejudices and vices. A nation where law and order is in place and where one law is applicable to one and all. A nation that is a super-power in every sense of the word.

I’m sorry to have popped your little bubble. Nonetheless, I hope all of you had a fabulous break from work/school today and enjoyed the colourful and entertaining parade! Happy 26^th January!