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On June 8th, on the National Public Radio (NPR, USA) I heard a report on the death of a 22 year old Marine from Washington was killed on Memorial Day (30th May). It was a very emotional piece, complete with a reading of a letter written by a 12 year old, for whom the Marine used to baby-sit. It almost moved me to tears and also got me thinking about what an insensitive country I come from.

Insensitive because many of our country men and women lose their lives everyday – either safe-guarding us or maintaining law and order for us; lose their lives mainly because of our government and none of us, supposedly their brothers and sisters, don’t even mourn for them. We don’t even spare them a moment, for their supreme sacrifice. Is it because our media does not care to inform us, or we just don’t care and hence our media doesn’t care either, meaning are we so immune because of our large population that loss of a few lives everyday does not matter to anyone but the immediate family?

Insensitive towards the thousands of Kashmiri Pandits treated as refugees in their own homeland, rendered homeless and helpless due to senseless acts of terror. They have been treated as second class citizens, prosecuted and pushed out of their homeland because of the love-affair with Pakistan and affinity towards vote-bank politics.

Insensitive towards thousands of our Jawans who have lost their lives for an almost senseless cause! Senseless because of the subservient attitude of our politicians towards the same people who are responsible for their deaths – our enemies! For every soldier who lays down his live, we have ten so-called leaders licking the soles of the enemy generals.

The marine who lost his life two weeks ago fought for something he believed in, for something that his country believes in today. And he is aptly grieved for by his parents, his friends, city, state and country. Will such a day dawn for India, a day when every Indian realizes the worth of human lives of our own country men and women? A day dawn, when all of us raise ourselves as one to fight against our common enemy who is back-stabbing us and marring our path to peace and happiness? A day dawn when we stand united for our religion and take pride in our culture without bending down to please others and follow their ways just to gain popularity?


Ramya Ramaswamy

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If I were a Jawan May 01, 2005