Dear India,
I know, it's the first time I'm writing you a letter, but trust me, this letter has my heart. My maa, fondly celebrates you every year by playing all patriotic songs. My baba, who doesn't show emotions much, but cries whenever he sees a soldier dying or humanity disappearing. And then me, who just loves to study you, even if I doubt your theories a lot.
Well, I know how hard it is to absorb all sorts of colors but you have done it quite prolifically. There were many ups and downs, you have had gone through, but last year when you told me that India just reached Mars, you made us proud more than anything else.
I cry in happiness every time I see a sports player making you fly high, and then the urge to represent India goes on top of my mind. The pride I see in the eyes of those sports players is immensely truthful. But somehow India, when we lose a match, especially against Pakistan, we people drag our countrymen/women down.
It's not you, but it's us, this phrase suits our equation. Because we as people have let you down. The saffron in tiranga was meant for bravery but we took it as Hinduism and ruined it. The green in tiranga was meant for prosperity but again religion thought it was for Muslims and dragged it down. I'm proud that the white color of peace isn't related to religion because peace doesn't believe in communalism
कभी धर्म के नाम पर लड गये,
कभी 2 गज जमीनों के लिये लड गये,
होते आज वीर भगतसिंग तो कहते,
हम भी कीन कमिनों के लिये मर गये
I read this somewhere and it's on top of my mind from then on. We celebrate all your virtues and vices, but my dear India, we aren't secular. The main feature of your constitution has been disappeared and how
Though we celebrate you today, this letter has to be honest, right?
So India, we need secularism right now so that the fight based on religion would never get placed. We need equality because there isn't any matriarchy in this motherland. So I hope you prosper this year. The Dalits, Hindus, Muslims, Sikhs, Parsi's would live in peace and that's what you always wanted
Koi na, we love you and happy birthday!
By Siddhi Deshpande