"The army is now like Cinderella getting all the love
and attention but it won't be long before all is forgotten and it starts
receiving step-motherly treatment again."
Anuradha Mathur, 56 APO (During Kargil war, India Today, July 26, 1999. Letters.)
The words of Anuradha Mathur have proven yet again to be true on 13 Dec 2009 when only 11 MPs paid tribute to the martyrs who sacrificed their lives fighting terror attack on the parliament. The others seemed to be taking their Sunday off, many of these were the same MPs who had their hands in their mouths as they were inside the parliament at the time of attack and who were saved by the forgotten jawans.
Sometimes I feel who are these guys fighting for?? For the country or for these ehsaanfaraamosh politicians who feel nothing whatsoever..... Mahesh Bhatt, one of the top notch directors said in an interview recently when asked about his son, "Ehsaan kiya hai desh par"(by disclosing his links with Headley)......Thank you Mr. Bhatt, we are deeply indebted.
I remember the NSG commando Major Sandeep Unnikrishnan who got killed while battling terrorists in Mumbai. His father shut his house doors on the CM Achuthanandan and home minister Balakrishnan with media cameras rolling . At this, Mr CM said," Had it not been a martyr's house, not even a dog would have entered there." This was the real condolences Mr CM had in mind and the rest was a show off.
In an interview with Mr and Mrs Unnikrishnan, they were asked a question ,"Are you proud that your son lost his life fighting for the country?"
Of all the answers I have heard from various mothers and fathers and friends of martyrs who said they were extremely proud and held their head high, this answer was different. His father said," What should I be proud of? My son lost his life performing his duty. This is what I taught him from the childhood and this is what he believed in. " When he was asked how their life was going now, they answered that they were left with no hopes. He had even thought of committing suicide but Mrs. Unnikrishnan stopped him. The day she will feel the same, they will put an end to their lives together.
I also remember Anuj Nayyar, the 24yr kargil martyr. Along with his Mahavir chakra, his father received the allotment letter of a petrol pump. Claiming the pump that came as a memory of his son was never going to be easy, but Nayyar had never imagined that it was going to be this tough - it took not one, not two, but innumerable visits to every possible Goverrnment office.
"The struggle of Kargil was one part. The struggle of Kargil Heights (petrol pump) was another. In the Kargil struggle, the might of the Indian Army was there to support, that was one war, but in the other war of Kargil Heights, there was no back-up," said Nayyar.
Years after the pump was alloted, Nayyar and his wife were still getting permissions from the Delhi Vidyut Board, the DDA and the Delhi Police.
We are a proud nation. We have survived the recession with a growth of 6%. But we do not know the people responsible for saving us. Seems like our heroes have changed. We have our role models as Shahrukh khans and Kareena Kapoors and Katrina Kaifs. We also remember their birth dates and marriage anniversaries. Are these the right issues??
We enjoy slangs in shows like Roadies and Dadagiri and get emotional when one of our favourite most good looking contestant is voted out and get overwhelmed when he or she wins. We spend out time watching television shows like big boss where 10 -12 stupid people are made to live in a house and we enjoy watching them fight over petty things.
On all this, I remember the lines of Dinkar's Kurukshetra,
वह कौन रोता है यहाँ इतिहास के अध्याय पर,
जिसमें लिखा है नौजवानों के लहू का मोल है,
प्रत्यय किसी बूड़े कुटिल नीतिज्ञ के व्यवहार का,
जिसका ह्रदय उतना मलिन जितना कि शीर्ष वलक्ष है,
जो आप तो लड़ता नहीं,
कटवा किशोरों को मगर,
आश्वस्त होकर सोचता ,
शोणित बहा, लेकिन , गयी बच लाज सारे देश की !!
Enough said.
