We - the Indians.

Much has been said, published and displayed about the Tsunami disaster that struck our shores on the 26th of December 2004. Before we let time and distance wipe out these memories from our minds, let us look at the disaster from a new perspective. Once again, as has been witnessed in the past, the disaster affected not just those whose lives were directly affected by it, but also those who were hundreds of miles away from it. People from all over the country have come forward to extend their help to the victims of the disaster without sparing a moment to think about their caste, creed, religion, language, state, or region. This is a direct slap on the face of those politicians and reporters who seek and engrain in the minds of the people of our country that there is no more to our lives than caste, creed, religion etc. People have parted with large sums of money without thinking twice about who the money will eventually go with or whether it will indeed reach the needy at all. This is a clear indication that there is an underlying principle that binds all the people of this country and however it may be bombarded with divisive talks and ideologies, it manages to prevail in the end and guides our actions, especially in times of distress as was seen during Kargil, Gujarat earthquakes, and Tamilnadu tsunami.

It is distressing to see sometimes that journalists who are bound to the cause of information to all, indulge in misrepresentation or presentation of biased news. While, it is a matter of pride for our country that we have taken up relief operations in all earnestness, there is a small number of people who would like to dilute the self-pride by maligning it with stories the have the divisive politics as their genesis. Some such reports have appeared on rediff itself that tend to play up the caste issue even while there is commendable work being done in the region to rehabilitate the victims. My appeal to them is to stop debasing us, our society and, our culture in this manner while being a passive spectator to it. A journalist’s responsibilities might end with a news report, but a citizen’s duty begins just there. I would urge these journalists, for once, to take an active role in eliminating such issues that they experience in the society. It will do the society no harm if they spread awareness among people educating them about the ills in the society and inspiring them to work together for each other’s benefit. It is my conviction that if they are such good writers, their oratory skills will not any less efficient either in putting across their good thoughts to people. I remember a journalist in Mumbai witnessing the rape of a minor mentally retarded girl in a local train as a mute spectator. If only he had shown a little courage and initiative, he could have influenced far more number of people to act against such atrocities than his written column would ever have.

It is time that we looked at our country as our own and thought it our responsibility to take steps that benefit it and its people. It is time that we stopped looking at the problems in our society as an outsider because we are part of the same society that we criticize. If those problems do not affect us, then either we are not part of this society at all, or those problems do not exist at all.

It is time we looked at ourselves for who we are; we, the Indians.