After 61 years of independence are we truly free?

It isn't very liberating, the thought that even after 61 years of independence we still live in a society of taboos and discrimination, hunger and disease, injustice and fear. why does August 15th lack the pomp and show of the Republic day? Perhaps because it is just the day we got political freedom, the task of winning freedom for the people is yet incomplete.
As the clock struck twelve to mark the fifteenth of August 1947 Jawaharlal Nehru reminded us that "before the birth of freedom we have endured all the pains of labour and our hearts are heavy with the memory of this sorrow". Now after enduring so much struggle we are represented by incompetent and corrupt leaders, who are criminal in both mind and thought. They enter politics to augment their interests and, not to forget, their bank accounts. They are under-qualified for the posts they hold and abuse their positions by favouring bribery, corruption and nepotism all the while sacrificing the growth of the country.
Discrimination and tyranny based on caste, creed, religion and gender are the chains which bind us from truly being free. Burning brides and dowry, an institution that has survived roach-like for generations, has not yet been vetoed from comman lives. And what could be more melo-dramatic than the time-worn image of a girl child asked to forgo dinner for the sake of her brother, who is seen as the family investment. To be fair, women have a right to ownership of property. But just the fact that we can't get them a third of the parliamentary seats is a disgrace.
Education and healthcare are among the other aspects that are plaguing our complete independence. That more than 40% of the children do not go to school only goes to prove the failure of the government. The high infant mortality rates and inadequate hospitals and medical staff are evidence to our poor healthcare system.
Violence, curfews and riots act as oil to burn our country's internal peace and security. Caste, creed,regionalism and religion have become like walls dividing us from within. A country at 61 may be as confused as an adolescent. More so now because of the dizzying changes around us and within us.
Our soi-disant leaders have conflicting ideas which only hainder the growth and progress of the country. So if we do not inculcate in us, the values, care, concern and discipline, India, 61 years later will still be the India today.

tagged....again:)

1) Type your answer to each of the questions below into Flickr Search. 2) Using only the first page, pick an image. 3) Copy and paste each of the URLs for the images into the mosaic maker.

1. What is your first name? Manasa
2. What is your favorite food? Right now? a fuddruckers burger,kirthananna style;) and dr.pepper(yum!!!)
3. What high school did you go to? Cluny Convent
4. What is your favorite color? red,black and mid-night blue
5. Who is your celebrity crush? None.
6. Favorite drink? Dr.Pepper
7. Dream vacation? Backpacking through India with cousins and friends

8. Favorite dessert? Dark Chocolate ice cream
9. What do you want to be when you grow up? Prime minister of India
10. What do you love most in life? My family and friends
11. One Word to describe you? Confused
12. Your Flickr name? manee

1. Monkey Business!, 2. The Perfect Burger, 3. Romainmotier abbaye Switzerland Suisse, 4. Gizmo, 5. the hidden depths of being real, 6. The Dr. is IN, 7. A village in the Kullu Valley close to Manali, 8. the best dark chocolate ice cream ever, 9. 60 years, 10. Colorful Rainbow Balloons 114/365, 11. Captivated blur, 12. Aier :)

Tagged

Been tagged by swat so here goes....

A-Available? For food, hanging out wit friends and talking about and driving cars and bikes anytime!!
B-Best friend(s):It would have to be......................ME!!
C-Cake or Pie: Both!!
D-Drink(s) of choice: Ajja's special sherbet, chocolate milk and orange juice!!and DR.PEPPER!!!
E-Essential thing used everyday: cell phone
F-Favorite color: red, black and midnight blue
G-Gummi bears or worms: Gummi bears.
H-Hometown: Bangalore
I-Indulgence: Food, music and writing
J-January or February: second half of january
K-Kids and names: love playing with kids. like people with names which suit them
L-Life is incomplete without: Family, friends, harry potter, my dog, sports and music!!
M-Marriage date: Will let u know if it's EVER fixed.
N-Number of siblings: One younger sister.
O-Oranges or apples: Both i like fruits
P-Phobias: Scared of crossing roads!!
Q-Quote: "If its not good then its not the end" and "Live life stop analysing it:)"
R-Reason to smile: When i see my friends, when my friends are happy, when i'm thinking about a song and suddenly it starts playing on the radio, rain, my dog, calvin and hobbes, harry potter, and loads of other stuff. I usually dont need a reason to smile, i just always am
S-Season: all
T-Tag three people:
U-Unknown fact about me: I can actually speak sense sometimes(its very rare though)
V-Vegetable(S) you do not like: Brinjal(yuckkk!!)
W-Worst habit: Can’t shut up and can't make sense(lol)
X-rays you have had:left shoulder
Y-Your favourite food: Ma's colombo, pathrade, gajar ka halva, pulao, karkal ter's dali,fuddruckers burger and loads of other stuff
Z-Zodiac: Gemini.

Hypocrites

"Indians are such hypocrites", is probably the most used sentence by westerners. But I beg to differ...... Indians are no more hypocritical than anyone else in the world. Just today I saw a foreigner on MGRoad throw his cigrette on the footpath. Now I doubt he'd do the same in his country but if an Indian did the same it would attract a lot of criticism from felllow countrymen and the world alike. At such times it is more important to help cover up the mistake and save ourselves the humiliation of being called an unhygenic or hypocritical race than agree with the world at large and make bigger fools of ourselves.

We humans can't help but be hypocritical. Many times we end up praising what we had earlier put down and vice-versa. Like earlier when Copernicus first said that the Earth revolves around the sun he was condemned and hung unto death and today he is considered one of the greatest men ever born. If this isn't hypocrisy what is?

It is indeed ironic that we point out the mistakes that others make and laugh at them when we are no better than them. We find glory in others misery. We find it harder to forgive someone when they are right. As we are but humans. Mean base creatures. Doesn't this show us how 'great' we truly are?

We say that all on Earth are equal yet we seek to rule and make ourselves more superior and hence more important than others. We fail to understand and appreciate what we say. It's ironic that though we came up with the word we still fail to understand it's meaning.