the Republic...for 60 years!

***

60 years of being the republic means, six decades...

...of being the most diverse nation on the planet. of bearing the weight of the expectations of a billion people. of cutting corners paying and accepting bribes. of making a mockery of our political and judicial system. of bitterly fighting amongst each other in the name of religion, caste and land. of pitting our individual identity against that of the nation. of electing corrupt criminals to our politico out of indifference, ignorance and fear. of exploiting and hurting each other. of ridiculing each others beliefs and values...

60 years of being the republic also means, six decades...

...of saluting our martyrs in absolute honour. of shouldering each other in times of grief. of laughing together. of celebrating together. of praying together. of congratulating each other on a Sachin century. of crooning along together to the tunes of Lata and Mukesh. of wanting to leave to find a better life somewhere else, but of always coming back to reclaim it here. of accepting the generous hospitality of unknown countrymen and of reaching out to others. of being awed at our collective culture. of greedily indulging ourselves to the never-ending culinary delights of this big kitchen from each others plates. of learning the mystic knowledge collected over centuries through folk tales with talking animals. of embracing each other. of always dreaming of success as a nation. of sharing one nation despite our differences and apprehensions...

...today is the completion of 60 years of the Republic of India! but being an Indian lasts forever. and this song is one of the many cherished memories that i grew up with. a truly Indian song of unity and love...

...Happy Republic Day!