Patriotism amidst poverty

Teri Mitti – Tribute by B Praak & Arko on Amazon Music

“Nanhi si  hansi, bholi si Khusi,  bholi si wo baanhein bhool gaye;

Jab desh ne di awaaz humein hum ghar ki wo raahein bhool gaye”

Translates to

That cute laughter, selfless happiness, innocent hug – we forgot that all;

We forgot the road to our homes when the nation came calling.

https://youtu.be/QiBeywmJoRY

Teri Mitti – The Tribute by B Prak and Arko

I do not like this feeling; it rattles me and makes me sad. It is the feeling that makes me feel connected to my country. The patriotic feel that aches my heart and makes me want to die for my motherland. This song has that effect on me. It is a newer version of an already popular song and pays tribute to Corona warriors who are serving humanity during this difficult time.

I remember this ache in my heart clearly. Two years ago, it was this pain that had made me leave a luxurious life in Canada and join a job in an agricultural university in a remote part of India. High with patriotic romanticism, I wanted to bring change. Unfortunately, things changed gradually, and I became just another contestant in the rat-race to accrue points for job promotion and salary hike. Today, after listening to this song and with an ache in my heart, I am wondering what changed me. I look around for answers. All I can see is poverty. I see poor walking on the roads with determined steps—people, half-naked, and perhaps even a bit worried. I am not sure if this worry on their faces is because of the scare of contracting SARS-CoV-2 infection or is it about finding just enough money to buy food for their families. I see people living in huts with goats tied outside. I am dazzled by a woman darting towards a pool of rainwater on the middle of the tarred road while lifting her child from one arm. She drops the child right in the middle of the pool and uses the water to wash the feces on her child and then gets back to her daily chores. I witness this abject poverty every day, but today I am forced to wonder what these people think about their duties towards the nation. I am lucky that I do not have to think about the resources to purchase my next meal, but I still dare to compare my life with the lives of the poor around me and try to draw some parallels.

We all have the well-being of our nation in our hearts, but how often do we think about taking active steps to bring that positive change in our society. Today, I am forced by a song to think about my duties towards my country, and it is mostly when the country is battling tough times we are reminded of our civic responsibilities. But what about other days? These people around me begin to give me the answers.

An average India, poor or well-to-do, is stuck between the grinding stones of fulfilling the duties towards his family. An average Indian is not selfish – instead, he is working selflessly to provide for his family. Today, when the entire nation is on a lock-down, thousands still throng the streets, braving police action and death from Covid, to feed their families. The lock-down might have broken the chain of spread of SARS-CoV-2, but it also definitely has broken the economy and forced millions further into hunger and poverty. Therefore, India is not what they must be thinking at this moment. Nation is a concept that revolutionaries think about. Patriotism is a concept that survives on freedom from family responsibilities. I would be happy to die for the nation, and so will millions out there, but then who will feed our families. Perhaps, after I came back to India from Canada, I was overwhelmed by the pressure to perform and impress seniors. It is my performance that will determine my professional success so that I can earn more and afford all those luxuries that I so desperately want me and my family to have. Now, if I think really hard, there is a difference between me and those people around me – they have forgotten the nation so to focus on ‘earning‘ basics and I have forgotten it so that I can ‘enjoy’ the basics.

Lockdown – day 1

The novel Corona Virus has taken over the entire world and put many regions under lockdown. India is also one of the affected countries – how bad – that is anyone’s guess. I am an assistant professor at an Agricultural University in India, and for the last year, my life was busy with hundreds of daily tasks. But then this Covid-19 hit us. First, they sent all the students home and cancelled all our leaves – we were required to report every day at work. Then, after a few days, the situation became serious. In the state of Bihar, where my University is, there were no confirmed cases of Covid-19 until the morning of 22 March, and then all of a sudden, we receive media reports of one confirmed case and another death from Covid. This was serious. How is it possible that there were no reports of Covid-19 in the state, and then all of a sudden, there is a death? This creates an atmosphere of uncertainty, which leads to panic and fear. It was also on 21st that my University decided to lock down its campuses. I live on the campus where the headquarter of the University is situated, and one can find almost all the items of daily use within the premises. Thus a lockdown is expected to be less painful – at least that is what I thought on the 1st day of the lockdown. Moreover, I have forced myself indoors for days while writing my Ph.D. thesis.
In fact, the 1st day was relaxing, except for an incident where a cat got into my kitchen and drank the milk that was on the kitchen shelf. Since that was our entire stock of milk for the next two days and we were under lockdown, I had to figure out a safe way to get milk. I called a friend who purchased milk for me from the milkman who delivers milk at this home. The milk was boiled and safely delivered to me at night when the authorities relaxed the lockdown. Earlier, in the morning, I finished a pending review of a research article for a journal. My wife and I made some noise at 5 p.m. as called by the Prime Minister of India to appreciate the workers on-field fighting Covid-19. I don’t think any field or hospital worker heard our bells, but it was a fun exercise. We felt refreshed and a bit happier under such a sad situation. I also purchased the Kindle book “The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks” and read a few pages.
Today was the second day of the lockdown, and it seemed a bit drag. I am not used to holidays, especially when I have nothing to look forward to. I woke up at my usual 6:30 a.m., tended to my plants (they have started to catch spider mites), washed some dishes from last night, prepared some green tea for myself. By this time, I would have bathed and been at work, but this day seemed uninspiring. This is what else I did today:
1) Did some pranayam to keep my respiratory tract healthy
2) Did laundry by hand
3) Browsed web to get some sense of the situation – failed at it.
4) Continued reading my book.