There will be a spate of talks on TV revolving around how we (the current generation) have taken our independence for granted. How some things still don’t change… How corruption is still rampant! But for a change, I’d like to see a positive celebration. I think we ARE proud of our Indianness. Maybe we take it for granted but we still respect it. I still feel choked when the national anthem played at the end of Rang De Basanti in a theatre in Mumbai! Or when the Indian sports team wins!  After the blasts in Delhi, when Bismillah Khan and other musicians organized the concert for communal peace on the banks of the Ganga, my heart did a silent salute to our innate spirit. The fact that students felt so strongly against reservation and quota that they took to the streets in such big numbers and across the country… There is hope. Things are changing.

But, yes, there is scope for improvement. It saddens me that there are so many barriers built between us – language, caste, race, religion. And that’s why I think what Gurmeet Singh is currently doing is very essential and important and if he manages to get some children in changing their mindsets, it will go a long way in strengthening our future. At a flower show in Bangalore last week, I saw a group of children waving banners and loudly urging people to not litter the place and to keep Bangalore green! And the children were enjoying themselves. This is great – more and more schools have begun to start activities to get children socially aware. I know that I can spare an hour or two every week for community work and I plan to do so. There is a school for the blind, and an orphanage close to home. There are some great agencies like dream a dream foundation, swabhimana, i-volunteer and family services that help give us a platform to help with various causes. Let’s all try and make a difference!. It’s about time we took full advantage of living in a democracy. Jai hind!! J