SOUND TO BE AN INDIAN
by R Raghu Raman .
The whole nation is proud that the cricket team has won the world cup after a gap of 28 years since 1983. There were jubilations/celebrations all around hailing Dhoni & his men in blue. Even the Chairperson of UPA Mrs Sonia Gandhi did not lag behind & was seen mixing with the crowd to be part of the frenzy. Starting from the ICC, States, corporate’s, railways and kingfisher air lines everyone has come forward to shower praise and money/wealth on to the players to endorsing brands making them richer by a couple of crores. No hard feelings. The team has done a good job & deserves a pat.
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Now that the euphoria of the cup is waning it is time to do some introspection as to how the country views its war heroes and what the Govt / State offers them to sacrifice their lives at the altar of duty.
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Each player would get Rupees One crore from the BCCI in addition to its share from the ICC, 2cr for Dhoni and one cr each for the four Delhi boys; land/house to Dhoni & Sachin by the Uttarakhand Govt; one cr to Sachin and Zaheer by Maharashtra Govt; one cr to Yuvraj & Harbhajan by Punjab Govt; land to Dhoni for cricket academy in Jharkhand; Housing plots to team members by Karanatka Govt; Audi to Yuvraj and lifetime railway pass to travel by first AC and first class life time travel any number of time to anywhere in the world to spouse and dependents by KF Airlines to all .
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The team partied at the same Taj Hotel which was the battle ground on 26/11 & witness to many a soldier giving up his life. Major Unnikrishnan who died while fighting the terrorists is yet to receive his complete NOK entitlements. He gave his today for the tomorrow of BCCI &others so that they can party all night without any threat.
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The world Cup finals at Mumbai was held under safe environments with the Army, Navy, Ccoast Gguard, NSG & what not to ensure the conduct of the match without a hitch. Remove the men in uniform & see if the events pass smoothly, be it CWG games or cricket match.
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The Kargil War has still its shadows on the number of officers/jawans who laid their lives to protect the nation and its territorial integrity. What the recipients of Param Vir Chakras/Mahavir & Vir Chakras got in comparison to the cricket boys is known to all (peanuts). What the families of the dead go through can only be experienced by them. Having a decent living is hard to come by. It’s passé as far as the nation is concerned. There is no crib here, but for the value of blood, shed for others to have a peaceful life. The railways is not prepared to honour the percentage concession given to the war heroes in stark comparison to a lifetime FIRST AC FREE PASS throughout the country along with an aide to the cricket stars. Let us not forget the Kabul blast in which a Brig was also blown up with a bureaucrat. The Babu got all the cake and the icing, the Brig was treated as a casualty. The PM went & paid homage to the babu and his family, the Brig got the traditional ‘Shok Shashtra’. The naked truth is known to all but yet our tolerance levels are very high & we continue to be downgraded/kicked around and accept with a smile. He loses his eyes or become paralytic with a sharpnel /bullet in his vertebra while saving his country he gets a max 30% of the lowest pay band he belongs - a paltry few thousands??/ -and proportionally reduced if some party of his body is still active.
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Many have written to the PM on lot of issues without success. The PM himself is a seasoned bureaucrat. Perhaps it would be wise to remind him that one day he too would go away. When the PM passes away, the Generals will stand guard on his coffin & carry it to the pyre and sound the last post; it is for the PM to think whether he has done his bit towards those who guard the nation and would be part of his last entourage till he melts away.
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Where do we go from here? Should we be a silent spectator to the happening around us or should we form part of the Anna Hazare team and mobilize people on the lines of Egypt or pass away into oblivion. I leave this thought with you.
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sent by Raghu Raman to birmingham-university-alumini-india@googlegroups.com
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