Do You ?

“Is it fun for you? You don’t understand the value of the occasion/event. This cannot be expected from a person with responsibility and that too of your age. …..” Prof said.

It was the year 2015, a day before Republic Day. I was in college and my team was at A-Block of the college for inductions for Republic day performance. A Professor from Mechanical Engineering, who used to play badminton with us (or we used to play with him) was the judge for the inductions. While he was watching the performances, suddenly somebody did something wrong, I don’t know what he did, but Prof scolded him.

I was outside the hall and was waiting for my team’s turn. I listened to it. That was the first time I had seen that particular Prof scolded someone. He was quite friendly with students. This is why his words “You don’t understand the value of the occasion …” stuck to my ears. At the moment I thought, Yes I do know why we celebrate this day but Do I really know It’s value?

That was answered months ago (I mean last year), while I had a discussion with a friend about how social media has changed our lives. Then the point came out that we have seen it changing, so we know how the internet and social media has impacted us, but what about the generations ahead. Will they ever know that How does it feel to surf over 2G or 3G. No, they won’t. They will just listen to our experiences, how it felt. Like generation before us has seen how Television, Mobile/Telephone and Transport has changed everything around. For us, these things were always there. So we don’t know what it feels like having only one channel broadcasting that too for a limited time or sending a handwritten letter or travelling to places on a bullock cart and many more things.

That’s where the answer lies. We will not understand the value of our independence and our constitution unless we try hard. Because for us, it was always there. We got a well-settled country from our ancestors and we just have to maintain it as they made it. We don’t value our freedom like our previous generation or our grandparents do. Why? Because they have tasted the sweat of slavery.

The problem occurs when we realise that we have some rights, as they are mentioned in our constitution, but we don’t focus on our duties. Rights come with duties. It is our duty to respect National Anthem because it comes under the same constitution which gives us the right to live with freedom.

If you want to know How good our constitution is, then keep in mind that it gives us the right to question itself. I don’t know if in coming years generations will question it or not, but if they do, they have to come up with a better alternative.

I do value My country and its constitution, Do you?

Happy Republic Day.