Patriotism on the rise? Good show!

Happy Birthday India! Today India is 60 years young. While growing up as a child I remember Independence Day was merely a holiday. You couldn’t see the celebrations anywhere other than the Govt offices. One would think hoisting your country’s flag is your birthright. Unfortunately, it wasn’t the case in India until 2002. Mr. Naveen Jindal won a seven-year long court battle that enabled all Indians to display our National Flag with honour and pride at their homes, offices and factories on all days of the year.

Yesterday almost every call ended with the caller telling me “Wish you a Happy Independence Day”. India is booming today (no wonder VCs are scrambling to invest in India). Flags are being sold at every traffic signal. Independence Day Sale can be seen in shops and malls (one can see this culture in the USA).

According to a survey conducted by Nielsen, 89 per cent want to be reborn as Indian. Fifty per cent of the people who were surveyed felt that the rich Indian culture was the most attractive factor for being proud to be an Indian. But the survey says patriotism is on the decline. Maybe true. Overall, you see a lot of positive energy in the Indian Youth. Not many want to go abroad, they feel they have a better future in India. India has finally arrived. Let us all celebrate this arrival.