Meaning of Being an Indian

65th Republic day of the largest working democracy of the world is indeed a proud day for us Indians. Our president beautifully put it today,” India’s true strength lies in her Republic; in the courage of her commitment, the sagacity of her Constitution, and the patriotism of her people. 1950 saw the birth of our Republic. I am sure that 2014 will be the year of resurgence.”

Our democracy has taken deep roots and it is the best system under which our country has made multi-faced progress. We can be proud of our achievements. We are a Nation that counts and the attention of the whole world is on us. Our Parliament is the people’s institution. It is the mirror and the voice of the people. Generally speaking our Constitution, which gave us our new system of government and our Parliamentary system involving all up to the grassroots level, has stood the test of time. Our democracy has been tested a lot of times yet it has stood tall on all occasions and defended itself very valiantly and it is a matter of pride for all of us.

I urge everyone to stop critiquing this great institution and stop being hypocrites. The actual problem is not our constitution; in fact it is only due this great piece of document that India is still fighting. We, the people lack in the motivation and the honesty that our fore fathers had. For once appreciate the Indian Constitution which has held us together for 65 years and will do for the next many years.

The world is watching us not because we are a poor developing country but because they are eager to know how this democratic country will react and how will it fight back. They know that this country has the capability to become the super power.

Corruption, assaults and political conspiracies happen worldwide, but when they strike India they excite the mind like nothing else. For example, South Africa is a serious center of gang rapes, or “jack rolling” in the local lingo, but that does not cause an international stir. Yet the news of the December rape and murder in Delhi ricocheted within minutes across the world. This was not because the protests were passionate, or because the police should have gone to a finishing school. What was being observed was whether our Constitution- would hold? Eventually it did; false cases were withdrawn and, boorish cops notwithstanding, no bullets were fired.

Ethnic intolerance again is an international affliction. When Putin tells Russian minorities to put up or shut up he gets a standing ovation at home and hardly any press abroad. In Burma, Rohingya Muslims foxhole themselves in fear, but that does not make big news. With India it is different. If the western world was horrified with the 2002 Gujarat killings, it was because our free press and civil society, also gifts of democracy, brought things out in the open.

That India can make this happen again and again is what makes us special. Had we been too perfect, we would be Scandinavia, and nothing unique. On the other hand, had we been too violent, we would have been just another Honduras, or maybe Zimbabwe. But because our stubborn democracy has held to its frame, our leadership blunders light up the sky. This is our real USP!

India’s imperfections make for its significance. In terms of economic underdevelopment and dodgy politicians, we have a fair amount in common with many troubled nations, some of whom are our neighbors. But even in the darkest of times, we hardly expect military coups and mass arrests, as they do. To their credit, millions of Chinese bloggers also noticed that Delhi’s anti-rape agitations did not turn Vijay Chowk into a Tiananmen Square. Arvind Kejriwal thought that political system is corrupt and hence wanted to get into the system and clean it. The Constitution of India gives him this right to him.

When India dared to birth democracy, many thought it was premature and that it would soon be history. Sixty-eight action-filled years later, India’s democracy is now a little too old to die young. What is more, the world watches every move we make; in fact, cannot have enough of us. This is not because India is efficient and affluent – far from it. Rather, it is the way India goes wrong that fires global imagination.

Stop cursing the system because we could not have got a better constitution. What we an Indian need to do is CHANGE and change for good. The recent developments in the political scenario are indeed a positive one and the new government brings in positve vibe in the country.