How times have changed...

THEN AND NOW

15^th August 2011, Monday

I remember how I celebrated Independence Day last year. It was incredible and truly amazing as me and my friends woke up early in the morning and then we vroomed, tripling on one bike to the main porch of our college. We were just in time for the flag hoisting. We quickly got off the bike and stood there as the tricolor rose on the flag mast and then opening up to fly with pride in the gentle wind. The National Anthem tune was playing in the background; it was really a very patriotic and an epic moment for us – The people of India finally breaking the shackles of slavery and freeing themselves from the British Raj. So there we were, enjoying the performance when suddenly we realized that one of our classmates were performing some kind of Rajasthani dance on pieces of glass, we cheered for her. The performance was really great. I met all my other friends – Hindu, Muslim, Christian and Buddhist, wished them all a happy Independence Day. This made me think how amazing it is that students from different parts of the country have come to this one place and have settled here living in harmony and peace. This college was a true symbol of unity amongst diverse cultures and castes. We danced a bit too to the tune of Vande Mataram. And then came the moment of kachodi’s and laddoo’s, since four years we have been getting the same thing but we never got bored of it.

After that we returned to our hostel where patriotic songs filled the air coming from different rooms of the hostel. We too sat down and played the movie ‘Swades’ on my friend’s laptop. The rest of the day went great as we toured the beautiful city of Bhopal – Lakeview, Taj-ul-masajid, Chatori Gali, Kerwa, M.P. Nagar, New Market - singing (screaming) patriotic songs and wishing Independence Day to random pedestrians on the street and other people on their vehicles.

15^th August 2012, Wednesday

It was a different story altogether this time. I was in Bangalore, a very different city compared to Bhopal. I was here doing my internship. I stayed at a PG near the office all alone devoid of any friends. Since Independence Day was a holiday I was enjoying the luxury of sleeping soundly on a weekday until…

‘RAT TAT TARARA RAT TAT  TARARA……’ – I was startled by the ringing of the phone and was even more surprised to see that it was my uncle calling. The time was just 7:45 in the morning (yes, that’s early for me). I answered the call. He asked me how I was and inquired if I was safe and sound. He asked me not to go out anywhere and stay indoors. Well, he might sound crazy to you but he wasn’t. He was in fact very concerned. The tension regarding the violence in Assam was growing and spreading like a deadly epidemic. The illiterate and the idiotic lot of India have mistaken the fight of the Bodo’s, an ethnic community of Assam and the Bangladeshi’s – the illegal immigrants as some kind of quarrel between Northeasterners and Muslims. All the people of Northeast India want is that there should be some action against the illegal immigrants from Bangladesh because of which the original people of Assam have become a minority and have to live as refugees in their own country.

So that’s how my Independence Day began this time. Ten minutes later my parents called up just to ensure that I was still alive. And then after that the calls kept on coming; from my parents, relatives and friends. So there I was; holed up in my PG room unable to go anywhere on Independence Day because of the silly ruckus going around.  All because I was an Assamese.

Still with determination in my heart I summoned the courage to go out for breakfast (sounds too dramatic). I walked to a nearby café and ordered a cup of ‘chai’ – the national drink of India and two samosa’s – the national snack of India. While I was munching on the samosa and sipping tea I noticed the surrounding. After seeing it I realized that the integrity of our nation hadn't completely faded out. People were celebrating Independence Day on the street – people from different religions and castes, people from various parts of India; carefree of the turmoil around they united to celebrate the freedom of our country. This assured me - no matter how strong evil gets, good will always rise. I had finished my breakfast. With a smile on my face, hoping for a better tomorrow, I plugged in my earphones and pressed the play button on my phone as I started my way back to the PG while drifting away to the Scorpions hit ‘Winds of Change’…

The world is closing in
Did you ever think
That we could be so close, like brothers
The future's in the air
I can feel it everywhere
Blowing with the wind of change

Take me to the magic of the moment
On a glory night
Where the children of tomorrow dream away
In the wind of change…