Every time I walk past the Stars and Stripes blowing in the wind, I feel a sense of pride for my adopted home country. Adopted is a word I use reflexively, because not only have I adopted the country, the country has adopted me too. But I digress.
Walking, driving, commuting anywhere in America, you can see the flag being flown all over the place; in homes, malls, movie theaters, community halls, places of worship, and of course government buildings. It is a constant reminder that we are in America, and we are proud to be here. And maybe some are not proud of everything about their home country, but it is still a constant reminder that we are all part of this nation.
The flag in India unfortunately, does not belong to the people. You can only see it on government buildings other than on a select few days. Then for the few days after those days you see temporary paper flags strewn all over the streets being trampled by cars, bikes, people, and animals with no regard for it.
Walking, driving, commuting anywhere in America, you can see the flag being flown all over the place; in homes, malls, movie theaters, community halls, places of worship, and of course government buildings. It is a constant reminder that we are in America, and we are proud to be here. And maybe some are not proud of everything about their home country, but it is still a constant reminder that we are all part of this nation.
The flag in India unfortunately, does not belong to the people. You can only see it on government buildings other than on a select few days. Then for the few days after those days you see temporary paper flags strewn all over the streets being trampled by cars, bikes, people, and animals with no regard for it.
Why not give what belongs to the people, back to the people. Allow them to fly the flag anywhere they want as long as its dignity is preserved with a strict set of rules that are enforced, not just by the law, but also by citizens. Let the "तिरंगा" or the tricolor fly proud all over my other great country. Let it be a constant reminder to people that they are part of something bigger. Something they should be proud of, something that they are responsible for, something they have a stake in keeping great.
What are we afraid of?
