I am proud here in India

I could’nt let go of the thought and decided to blog it.
I received an e-mail from a college senior who also is a very close friend currently working in Canada for a top MNC.

I felt very proud about my country after reading his e-mail.

Its now been 4 years he left us and this country. I remember how we used to pull his leg when he was applying for admissions in one of the foreign universities. We never thought that one of our friends will go to America to study. Growing up in a close-knit middle class environment, even thinking of going abroad was a big deal.

But one thing we were sure about was we knew he can get anything in his life, he was a dream chaser, he was the most intelligent of us all, we were very happy for him when he got a job in a top mnc there.

Back then we were a group of 4 friends. We along with our immediate family members had been to the airport to send him.

I remember one of us asking him if he would forget us and settle down in his new place. Honestly, I don’t remember his reply to it.

Last month we sent him a parcel as a birthday gift. We sent him a DVD of the movie Swades. It was just for fun and had no serious intentions to it. We thought it is the best thing we can send to our NRI friend.

Now coming back to his e-mail (it might sound a bit mellow dramatic) but I can put few lines straight out of his draft which made me feel proud for him as well as my motherland.

I was shocked to see this note from him. He was the same guy who was boasting about the western lifestyle and cribbing about the terror attacks and corruption in India.

My deepest thanks to A.R.Rahman sir, for composing such a lovely song and Ashutosh Gowarikar for coming up with a life changing movie. And no comments on SRK’s acting, he simply rocks.

Just when I am writing this blog,  I heard my neighbor’s daughter crying. I went up to them to check what happened. They said their little one lost her first tooth. After 15 minutes, I heard the child jumping in joy. When asked her, she said they are going to bury the tooth in the soil and she was excited for that. This is one of the many things that I remember doing in my good old days.Be it breaking a coconut when you buy a new bicycle or touching the feet of our parents or elders, we should be proud of this rich culture and heritage of our country. This happens only in India my friends…

Mehndi’s came first before tattoos… There are many little things like this that India gave birth to which are altered a bit and fancied in the west.

We take aarthis in temples, read namaaz in mosques, sing carols in churches, worship Wahe guru in Gurudwaars, that says it all.

I accept that we have so many flaws that we are yet to overcome, but we have come a long way.  We can achieve the impossible..

Jai Hind..