Wednesday, September 06, 2006

What's the big deal?

With all the hungaama going on about making Vande Mataram compulsory in schools, I wonder... Does it really matter? Does singing a song "define" how patriotic we are? I do not deny that it's a great song, with lots of history behind it.
Vande Mataram, in it's true sense was not a song. It was a "feeling". All our freedom fighters sang it in one voice. Nobody (at that time) even bothered if they were Hindu, Christian, Muslim , Sikh... They sang it for it's "spirit". How come it did not hurt their religious sentiments then?
Ok, lets assume that at "that" time, the only thing in their mind was "freedom" and didn't really bother about the intricacies of a song. But NOW.. Things are different, people "think" a lot.. (the MEDIA definitely adds on to the thinking!). So now they feel the song is inappropriate for Muslim beliefs. So be it! Let them not sing it!
When will we ever grow up? Doesn't the government (read Mr.Arjun Singh) doesn't have any better work to do? Don't they realize that making anything "compulsory" makes everybody want to rebel against it? Why this now? Don't they have anything else to think about? What about poverty, unemployment, malnutrition, education (oh yes! They took care of it with 50% reservation ;-)), female infant killings, goondaism, smuggling, drugs... Oh forget it! The list is endless.. But only to me! All HE can think about is how to rake up a controversy! He is bent upon dividing us! He is the modern age Shakuni. Grrrrrrr
I don't think anybody has to prove their patriotism by singing a song! I studied in a convent, and everyday we used to sing songs praising Jesus, did it make me any less Indian?
Ha!Ha! We boast our heart out saying we are secular.. blah! blah! And then we "enforce" things... Widening the already existing gap between different sects of people! God help him! God help our country!
Vande Mataram!

- A proud, but a very sad Indian!

11 comments:

Mysorean said...

It is being made a political issue shark! Don't bother about it anymore. They forget that "Vande Mataram" means "salute your mother"!

These people have no idea what they are doing. So, just ignore them. Vande Mataram is sacred to us and let's be that way. There's absolutely no use trying to shout at those people. They are absolutely useless! Hopeless fellows!

pavan kumar said...

I am sure normal junta with common-sense would just laugh at the issue and move on.. politicians want to stay in media and would stoop to any level.

Anonymous said...

Its just a political thing. No point bothering about it. There will be a hype for some day and then it would be gone.

pavan kumar said...

ppl writing "Vande mataram" with blood. link: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/photo.cms?msid=1967415

media attention ke liye kuch bhi karega!

Shark said...

@adi: It's obvious that it's a political issue. But I am amazed (or saddened) by the fact that the media is giving so much of footage to it!

@pavan: Laugh.. I did. But it hurts as well.. the "leaders" of the country are like this!

@hardu: Gone? Only to come back again in a few years! We will NEVER learn.

@pavan: GROSS is the word! (for blood writing). A bunch of buffoons!

Sudhakar said...

It's political.. I completely agree.. Now the latest issue is "Why Sonia Gandhi didn't sing Vande Mataram when all of congress M.P. sang".. So, original issue faded away

Viky said...

Oh, don't lose your hair on this thing. Remember how they made a fracas saying Tagore wrote Jana Gana Mana in honour of a British viceroy/gov. general or something, and hence it should not be the national anthem.

All things "national" are losing their existence.

National Anthem - was written in honor of a Brit.
National Song - is being used for securing vote banks.
National Animal - is almost extinct.
National Game - has neither sponsors nor viewers.
National Channel - is just there for the heck of it.
National Bird - will soon follow the Tiger.

Nationalism stands in the street, stark naked, raped and bleeding...

Shark said...

@sudhakar: Oh yes! I saw that Sonia thing! I wonder why they give so much of importance to ONE person?

@viky: How true... your words :(

Anonymous said...

how about recreating viky's list with the 'multi-' prefix. would be a fun exercise!

- s.b.

Shark said...

@wb: Positive thinking is fine. But blindly thinking everything is fine is stupidity.
I know that writing in a blog is not a solution, but I don't think in this present situation I can do anything more.
You are talking so positively.. so what have you done to improve the situation?
I never said we will never improve or anything like that.. I just pointed out what is happening "today". The more people know about it, the better. The power is in our hands!
Next time we Vote (I am assuming all of us vote), we know what to look for.
And by the way, there are lots of things going wrong around me.. I cannot rectify all of them!!! But If I see them and not even react to it, then that means I have "got-used-to" it.

And FYI.. I am not a "NRI"..;-)

GuNs said...

Hey !

I hate Arjun Singh for the reservtion controversy that he has created.

Even more than him though, I hate a lot of these so called protectors-of-religion on both sides, Hindu & Muslim who try to create political issues and cause communal unrest. I think they all should be kicked in the butts and asked to mind their own business.

As for Vande Mataram, I would sing that song whether it was dedicated to Allah, Jesus, Krishna or Shiva. Its not a religious bhajan. Its something that was the song for our freedom fighters. It was a song that helped inspire thousands of people to live and die for their country. I would sing that song proudly even if it was written in Spanish and I didnt understand a word of it - merely as a tribute to those brave men & women.

We seem to have an overly dumb minority who listens to everything that their clerics say. Its not their fault. The minorities have a very low literacy rate and its always easier to lure illiterates into these things. Educated Muslims sure wouldn't have any problems singing the Vande Mataram because they understand the significance of it.

I just wish we all stopped dragging religion into every issue that comes up in the news. It sucks. It really does.

Very well written & thought provoking post. Well done.

-PeAcE
--WiTh
---GuNs