A Matter Of Identity

The other day I visited a Multiplex and was utterly shocked to see a man shamefully remaining seated during the National Anthem. Now he was neither impaired or unable to stand but just couldn't care less.
Honouring the National Flag and Anthem is not only our Constitutional duty,but also a privilege for any self-respecting person who calls himself an Indian. People are supposed to respect the flags and anthems of any country,even more so those in which they are born in,living in or even visiting.(now this man wasn't even a foreignor)
I guess it just boils down to the issue of respect and appreciation of what one's roots are,and having a sense of one's roots is more important than ever in today's day and age,where it can become so easy to get caught up in imitating the west, and all that appears western, that we can forget all about our roots. For a people or a community to forget who they really are,is not only a tragedy for them but for the whole of humanity as well.
At the end of the day its not about one extreme or the other and it is equally tragic for those who get locked up in a false identity of who they are by retreating behind the seemingly self-assuring facade of false nationalism or religious bigotry,which sadly many people are falling into today - this works towards totally closing oneself to the world and all its richness. Truly discovering one's identity is about appreciation of all that's best in one's ethos and culture,while being open to gaining something from the other and working towards enhancing one's own vision of the world and of its diverse peoples and cultures.

Build Bridges Not Fences

Its really disturbing to learn that in many parts of Mumbai,from Pedder Road right upto Khar,some societies are restricting members of certain communities for buying, renting or leasing apartments or flats in their society. Now the danger of this sort of ghettoisation of peoples and communities is that,not only does it breed an attitude of "us & them" but also makes a community more vulnerable to attack during riots while making them the focus of terrorists planning attacks too. Social Psychology teaches us that such isolation works only to increase rather than remove social prejudices.
There are however reasons when a community may need to restrict membership,like in the case of the Parsis whose numbers are dwindling drastically and they are striving hard to maintain their identity,religion and traditions and also foster a sense of brotherhood within their community. The Supreme Court has therefore allowed such restrictions. On the whole,however,this attitude is not to be encouraged and we have to work to educate people on the dangers of fragmentation in our already troubled and strife torn world.