A hearty 66th birthday greeting to Mera Bharath Mahan! While we celebrate our independence and the great people who help us attain and remain free, I suspect my patriotism is leaking off. I still get Goosebumps listening to Vande mataram but lately I am considering patriotism more like a religion and even drawing parallels with racism. Still I am not over my patriotic feelings towards India and I take this moment to recall the top 5 patriotic actions from my life.
1. Learning the national anthem and the national pledge was one of my foremost patriotic acts. I can still recite the anthem and the pledge without referring. Try to recite the national pledge without help!
2. Religiously following “The Sword of Tipu Sultan” in Doordarshan.
3. Watching the final of 2003 cricket world cup despite having an exam the next day.
4. Regularly reading the newspaper during the Kargil war.
5. Last but not the least, watching Roja over and over again in DD. I still remember the hair on my hand standing in attention when Aravind Swamy rolls on the burning tricolor flag.
PS: Samuel Johnson once said, “Patriotism is the last refuge of a scoundrel”
So, I lost my last refuge a loooong time ago. Hmm
I equate patriotism to religion. But don’t confuse patriotism with nationalism.
(someone said:: a patriot loves a country, a nationalist hates everyone else’s)
Nationalism shall be equated to fanatic religion(ism).. or so I think.
(remember what modi said? “I am a patriot and a Hindu nationalist”.. yaaaay to the people)
@ Njan:
It feels great that there are people who thinks the same way (patriotism = religion).
I never thought of nationalism that way. I should have when I read Modi’s statement!!
I read recently (and thought it was rather well put)..
“Why was it that the people who want to destroy everything good about their country are the quickest to wave the national flag?”
Think about the time of fascism in Europe:
@NJan:
That is a very well said quote. Where do you get these from!!
Thinking about Fascism in Europe, isn’t it the desperate states of the people that makes them bring these people to power, who passionately promised progress.
And every one wants their kind ( whom they identify with themselves) to be better than others.. I want India to win every match it plays.. An extremist/aggressive move/statement get more support than a moderate/passive move. Dravid vs Tendulkar for instance or Subhash Chandra Bose vs Gandhi!