INDIA: THEN AND NOW.It’s 00.00.00.Indian Standard Time. Its midnight . All is calm. A second has just elapsed. Now it is 00.00.01. It’s the start of a new day. Its 15th of August 1947. It’s the independence day of my country. Of India my motherland. The people savor the first fresh air of freedom. Soon they will witness the first dawn of free India .
I was born much later. Born a free man. Unlike my father who was born during the British rule. A slave of the whites. Sixty-three years have gone by. “ How lucky I am” I tell my dad. He shakes his head. “My boy are you really proud? You were not there during the raj. You know not anything about it. What you see today, no doubt, is Independent India . People are not forced to work. To keep our country clean. To grow more food. To produce more goods. To make better quality products” “Those were the days. The roads were clean. The footpaths were meant to walk on, not to build huts. Gardens and parks were so very well maintained, not used as urinals. Every one had a proper house. The food we ate was unadulterated, so was medicine. The building material had quality steel. Bridges did not collapse in fourteen years time, like the Mandovi Bridge in Goa . The public servants worked for you and me honestly. No one accepted bribes. Not just human beings but animals too ate well. Money scams and fodder scams were unheard of then. Money spent for animal fodder was not pocketed by hungry government officials. Guns were bought to defend our land not to stash kickbacks in foreign banks. Now tell me son” said he. “Who should be lucky?” Listening to him, I Hang my head in shame. He went on “Son, are we really free? Or are we the slaves of the greed of our very own people? Have we elected our representatives to hoard money? To allow black marketing to flourish? To accept bribes? To allow someone to adulterate our food and medicines? To degenerate law and order and make our country an unsafe place? To make a mockery of our judicial system? What can we accept when the lawless have now become the guardians of our law? When dacoits and criminals, murderers and forgers rule over us. My pride gave way. How could I be proud on this 50th year of Independence ? I closed my eyes and said a prayer. On this fifteenth day of August, my Lord my God God, I pray for my country’s good. To give us Christ like leaders lord, Who will feed the multitude. Who will lead the present misguided youth, Who will fearlessly pursue the truth. Who will not let shoot innocent lives, But heal their bleeding wounds. Without armed guards, who will walk in the crowd, When they come out on their rounds. For the sake of this country, Who will sacrifice their lives, And make every Indian proud. Amen.Michael Fernandes