ARE INDIANS PATRIOTIC?

ARE INDIANS PATRIOTIC?

I had just settled down on my seat in the domestic flight from an airport in California to Washington D.C.--a 5 hour coast to coast flight-- when the pilot announced on the P.A. system

’Welcome to this Southwest Airline flight to Washington D.C. We will be flying across this wonderful country of ours. My colleagues will give you world class service for which my airline is reputed. Please sit back and have a great flight’.

The pride in his country was striking and sincere.

I joined the entire community of passengers in spontaneously applauding this grand sentiment.

For the rest of my wonderful journey and ever since then I have been asking myself this question—Are Indians like me patriotic? Is patriotism merely a question of announcing that I am proud to be an Indian? Is waving the national flag on ceremonial occasions a true index of patriotism? Does an average Indian have reason to be patriotic? Does he need a reason?

If you think that this is an isolated American instance of display of patriotism I may add that one sees such obvious pride at every turn in the US, in body language if not in words,

In the context of the current unrest in Mumbai there is now serious discussion in India on the subject of nationalism and parochialism. Speakers and writers have been exhorting us to be ‘ patriotic’ and rise above narrow considerations.

I believe these sentiments, noble though they are, mean little to the common man.

I feel that people cannot be ‘ convinced’ to be patriotic, One cannot ‘ argue’ a man into becoming a patriot. For every great aspect of our country one can cite more than one depressing reality.That according to me leaves us with one option.

I believe that the average American is patriotic not because of his country’s history of which the US has precious little. It is also not because of its great technological achievements of which there are any number. What endears the country to the common man is chiefly the fact that EVERYONE IS GUARANTEED THE BASICS OF LIFE. NOBODY NEED STARVE . NOBODY NEED LIVE IN AN INHUMAN UNCIVILISED MANNER.

It is here that India fails.

There are of course other aspects of American life that make it a great country—its commitment to freedoms of every sort, its openness, its ability to inspire to respect the law, its ability to motivate everyone to work together for the common good, its encouragement of merit ,innovation and enterprise , its spirit of equality and so on.

But these would have had little meaning for a starving person .This is where India fails. When we reach that level people will automatically be proud to be Indians without any exhortations from any quarter. It is only when a person has a stake in the country that patriotism develops.

K.R.RAVI

USA