I
am just another citizen of this country. Yes, the kind who sees the sorry state
of affairs of this land, cribs about it, laments at the condition and may be
even write about it at times ranting about the happenings around. And just like
my fellow Indians, I am cynical. I am cynical about the future of this country.
I too worry at times about where would all this stop and how far could the
condition deteriorate more.
But,
yes, I do dream. Dream about positives. Dream about things getting better.
Sensing hope with change in some political movements happening in the country.
Feel proud when ‘mango people’ get acknowledged for their efforts.
And
one of the dreams of this just another citizen of this country is a dream where
some small changes happening in the country, may be, may be would lead to
bigger modifications being brought in the political, economic and social scenario of my country. May be we could be
living in a better place.
A
country which has fought its battles, a country which has at times been
wounded, at times even lost but gradually it has become a country which has not
only survived but also emerged victorious defeating the very enemies of its
existence. It is such a country that I would want to gift to my child for
his/her secure future.
A
country free from clichés of Gender based roles: No
matter how modern this country grows, no matter how much development takes
place, the clichés of gender based roles still remain. It was the same when my
mother was a child, it was the same when I was a child. But I hope, whenever my
child comes to this world, the situation would have bettered. I wish I could
gift my child a country where gender parity exists. I wish my child would not
be judged on the basis of his/her sex but on the basis of his/her capabilities
as a person. I wish my daughter would be able to guilt-freely handle her
multinational company position and my son would not be critiqued as being
hen-pecked for helping his wife in the kitchen. Ah, I so wish.
A
country which is a Safe Haven: As I told you earlier,
yes I have ranted about it before on this blog. But trust me, even writing
about the current safety conditions of women in the country seems to be such a
mocking exercise at our own self. It’s as if we have become so accustomed to
hearing about these incidents these days that any new incident hardly hogs some
corner space in newspapers and some quick rumbling by news anchors, leave aside
the possibility of it creating some stir within our souls. I sincerely wish my
child doesn’t have to see or go through this phase. I wish I could gift my
child a country where safety is not a luxury available to few. I wish my
girl would never have to worry about her safety while moving to another city or
while coming back from her office late at night. I wish my son takes the safety
of women around him as his own moral responsibility. I wish just like my wishes
for my children, others too would have wished the same and would have molded
their children accordingly. I so wish.
A
country free from Pollution and Adulteration: Yes
we all know about the effect pollution has on us. Yes it is dangerous. But, hazards
of industrial pollution? What about the threat the improperly disposed
bio-medical waste poses for your health? You don’t even have an ounce of idea
about the ghastly effect the pollutants being emitted from those factories have
on your body systems. And adulteration. The shocking truths rather not be told
here. Because I know, you have read about it earlier, here and there. Because I
know you would skim through this paragraph if I rant about it more. But being a
part of machinery that deals with these day in and day out as a part of my job
makes me worry more. And hence, I wish I could gift my child a country which
has its pollution checks under control and adulteration be a word unheard of.
I wish my child doesn’t have to inhale those hazardous emissions and would be
able to have food that doesn’t reek of adulteration. Yes, I so wish.
A
country sans the Scams: I know I know looking at the
current scenario, it seems impossible. I know there are thousands, big and
small ones, going on right this very minute. But still I wish. I wish I
could gift my child a country free of scams and corruption. I wish he reads
about the gory details of scams and corruption in history books. I wish my
child is able to trust the people who run his country and believes that they
are doing his good and not only their own. I pray that he isn’t cynical like me
about the future of the nation and has the flame of hope about the bright
future of the nation always alive within him. Oh yes, I so wish.
A
country discriminative against Discriminators: Discrimination
on the basis of religion as well as promoting people from your own caste, we
have seen it all. Communal lobbies exist in all walks of life, be it society,
politics or your work life. I wish my child never sees them, rest alone faces
them. I wish I could gift my child a country where he is judged, promoted or
otherwise only and only on the basis of his mettle as a person and not just because
he belongs or doesn’t belong to a particular section of society. I wish I
could gift him a country where he is never asked to quote his surname for
showcasing his abilities. Yep, I so so wish.
So,
these are few wishful wishes for the secure future of my future child. They are
here because I believe that if my country’s future is safe, my child’s future would be secured too.
