Mar 15, 2002 04:46 PM
4463 Views
(Updated Mar 15, 2002 04:46 PM)
Dear Soldier,
Glad to see you are still alive. Life must be pretty hard there at the border. Yeah, I do think about you whenever I get the time. That's not often. You see I am a very busy person. I have my family to care for. I have a job. I have my friends. My parties! You can't expect a person like me to think about you often, can you? You must be really surprised that I even thought about you! You can attribute it to my conscience. I too, like majority of the Indians, sometimes feel guilty about enjoying my life when you are struggling there! But then, like majority of Indians, it is momentary! I forget easily. The way I forgot 1962, 1971, Kargil! After all we are busy people....with our families. Not like you, who do not care what happens to them!
I earn money, and more money! I treat myself to all the pleasures of life. I party!
What? You do not know what a party is? Oh, we freak out, booze, eat, and talk about how India is deteriorating day by day. You may wonder why we do not do anything about it. Hell, can't you understand that we are busy people? Busy in our careers, our families, in raising our personal standard of living by earning more dough! Money speaks, man! Of course, you will not understand our philosophy of life.
Let me introduce you to my philosophy. I believe in personal gains. I love to crib about the degrading condition of India. But I do not waste my time doing anything about it! I have better things to do in life, can't you see that? Not that I do not love India! Oh yes, I do! I cannot stand anyone insulting my India. It's a different thing that I insult her daily. With my acts! With my negligence towards my duties as a citizen. But then, as I said earlier, I am a busy man! I really cannot find time for my duties towards my country.
And I sleep well! I know you are there to guard this country. So what if your family misses you? So what if you are fighting death on the border? So what if your unit members are dying all around you? That's the life you chose. You deserve it!
Look at me! I am having a ball of a time. You cannot blame me for your plight. I did my duty as an Indian when I donated money for the Kargil fund. What? You say you did not get it? Oh, maybe it went in the lockers of the politicians. You cannot blame them too! After all, they have their own families! Why should they care about you?
Why are you so hurt? Oh, I see! You are confused with the word ''family''. Let me enlighten you. We both have different definitions of this word. My family means my wife, my parents and my children. Same goes for the politicians. Add to that their friends and funders. Your definition of a family is the whole country. I pity you!
We never treat the whole country as a family. This helps us when we kill people of other religions. We kill them, and they kill us! What’s their fault? Nothing, just that they were born the way they were! Just that they followed their religion. The people who die are just getting the punishment for what some other fanatics of their religion and some power crazy politicians did.
Anyway, I have to wind up now. I have to take my wife to the doctor. She is having malaria. What? Your wife too has malaria? Well, I guess my wife is lucky to have a husband like me!
Do not worry! We will again have a sensation when there is another war. We will raise money for your family when you are no more. So what if the money does not reach your children. At least they will feel they are in a country that raises the money for them, even if they do not get it! And of course your old parents will look after your wife and kids. It's their duty, after all!
Oh yes....be assured that our government will give you a medal posthumously. They may never care about you when you are alive. They may fill their pockets to buy substandard arms for you. They may earn money under the assumed fund for your brethren who died in the war. They may raise their hands when you ask for better arms and ammunition. But they have lots and lots of medals. Your wife can take it on your behalf. And we all will cheer and clap, bow our heads in your remembrance, and only then will we rush back to our normal busy life. Now, isn't that wonderful?
Ok then....it was nice talking to you, though I spent nearly half hour of my life on it! But it's alright! At least now you won't complain that I never thought of you!
Bye then.....wish me a happy life! I wish you a happy death!
Yours truly,
A common Indian.
