The reality called 'India'!

" India needs an answer", Mr. Prime minister thundered the noisy and the now famous Arnab Goswami. The growth rate has come down from 8.2% to 5%, and nobody seems to bother. "India needs to know", came his voice again.

When Arnab is fighting for the country's economy, in a remote village in an unknown part of the country 6 children went back to sleep without food. Their mother died when she was just 32 years old after fighting severe Jaundice. Their father had ran away with some body else. The eldest of the children, a small girl of 16 looks after 5 of her siblings, the youngest being 2 years old. The villagers, if,and only if, they have some extra rice give these kids that extra rice. Whatever food available is cooked and first given to the youngest and if, again I say IF, there is any extra left after the first 5 have had theirs, eldest sister has her food.

When some humble souls went visiting them, to do whatever they could, one of the children said with a smile "Uncle, the next house also has some children who don't have any food; can you do some thing for them too? "

That my dear friends is what the real India is all about. 'Food', the bloody 'FOOD' which i waste so many times, which i take for granted that every night i open my kitchen there it is, every single time; 

Those 6 children are not alone. There are hundreds and thousands of them in this country. And all they want is Food. They don't care one hoot about Narendra Modi or Rahul Gandhi. Manmohan Singh is just another Singh. And Arnab Goswami? Arnab kya?

Well, reality some times stare back at you! 

That word 'sorry'

I can clearly hear the cry. Whmph! whmph! it went on and on and on. The bathroom door was closed and the cry came from inside.

The memory of my brother crying loudly is so vivid in my mind. Me and my Brother were the best of friends and the worst of enemies. One moment we would be playing together and the very next moment sparks fly! No, in our house chairs fly! It was also one of those days when we were playing happily. As usual some thing provoked and in no time we were fighting. My dad, usually never even bothers to check the damage caused, that day decided to intervene.

Being his usual self, he did not check the damage done, but asked each of us to ask for forgiveness. "Say sorry, you can go" he thundered! Me, the more meek of the brothers, said an immediate sorry and as usual my brother refused. Dad took his stick, took him inside the bathroom, and started beating him. The stubborn brother simply refused. I don't remember whether my brother really said sorry that day; but i think he would have, else my dad would not have allowed him inside the house that day.

'Sorry' was such an important word in our home. My dad had not even touched us for any other thing, for cheating, for lies, for failures or for wasting time. But on the issue of asking 'sorry' he was strict.

But, I found out recently the world teaches a different form of this same lesson. 'Saying sorry', or basically owning up one's mistake is considered below the dignity. A Parliamentarian, asking forgiveness for a simple mistake, is considered a failure. Suddenly the world has become saintly and 'saying sorry' is considered below humanness.

Did my dad show us the right path? Should we be ashamed to ask forgiveness? Is saying 'sorry' a sign of meekness? or is it a sign of humility?

Sorry world! I am confused. May be I am wrong. But world, my brother has grown up to be one of the best gentle man there could be. May be my dad was right. May be there is a way out of the mess you are in through those words 'sorry' and 'forgiveness'.

May be i am wrong world! Sorry! I am taught to ask so.