Kargil

When I remember the days of the Kargil War, I remember tension, mixed feelings and a sense of urgency. Today many years later on Kargil Divas I would like to pay tribute to the several martyrs who made the supreme sacrifice for selfish individuals. Selfish individuals who are busy in the rat race far away from the border and the enemy, engrossed in making a quick buck or saving a buck. Busy breaking or bending the law, busy playing vote bank politics or bringing about religious divide, I see corruption becoming a benchmark for earning money, more than half the people who have told me they want to join politics wanted to because of the (black) money they could make, "boys" striving to become business"men" were not interested in what business they wanted to get into, the end result should be money, big money (earned due to hardword but also a lot of effort put into deceiving, bribing and buying off authorities). I see citizens cribbing about the mess around them but not clearing it up, I see people cursing their elected representatives, yet not asking themselves why they keep electing them time and time again or do not go and make sure their vote counts. I see bridges and roads made and re-made and re-made. I see a lot of bullshit around me and try to understand if we are in this bullshit of a place, why do men like those who died fighting on the border during the Kargil War thought this country and its people were worth their sacrifice. Did they see something that I or Most of Us have missed, is there some hidden part of Bharat that I have not travelled to...and then I came across a quote of a Captain who died during the War. To me his words are a true testimony to what an independent person should feel, when at war, when at war against an enemy, may it be in any form, may it be a person or a system or a attitude or a generation the Spirit should be the same as the spirit conveyed in these words:

"Either I will come back after hoisting the Tricolour (Indian flag), or I will come back wrapped in it, but i will be back for sure" - Capt. Vikram Batra, PVC.

To me this says, Find a cause worth fighting for and keep at it. But find a cause worth living for and at the same time worth dying for. For that is the true meaning of life. - If you have no "cause" then Why are you living? Independence is not just a country surrounded by a border, independence is a country full of citizens ready to die for it but first it must be worth dying for, a country is "created" by the people who fight for it, but it is "made" by the people who live in it.

Jai Hind.