Dated - 20th Aug 2011
Today i was witness to a contrast of life that left me numb. It was the first weekend of Anna's protest, so i along with my ofc colleagues decided to go and support Anna Hazare in his fight for an effective Lokpal Bill at the Ramlila Maidan. We reached Ramlila Maidan in the afternoon and were humbled by the massive turnout in his support. People had come from near and far - in metro, car, bike, autos, some even on foot-all with one aim-to tell Anna Hazare that they support him in this fight and to pray for his well being.
It seemed that India has once again woken up and started bothering about its way of life.
In the evening I had to cover an event at one of the high profile clubs in Delhi. I reach their half heartedly, my heart still at Ramlila Maidan. And I see one of the most hep crowds of Delhi - in the sportiest cars - wearing the brands i fail to even think of. To put things further in perspective - the minimum cost of entry to the place was Rs 4000 and it went up to Rs 1.5 lakhs - WTF! 1.5 lakhs for 5 hrs - and to add insult to injury - the entire place was so overfilled that it became next to impossible NOT to tip toe on other's feet.
In a short span of less than 24 hrs - I saw two India's - one fighting for their basic rights which provide a hope of better living - and another which hardly cares about the hoo haa going around, busy spending their 'hard earned' money.
India is not only a nation where people from different religion and regions coexist - but also where people from diametrically opposite economic conditions live and exist peacefully. Jai Hind!
The best part in all this was that when i saw the elite of Delhi, with the hottest wheels, in the prettiest clothes, my heart didnt ache to be one among them. It was more than happy that it cud be a part of the Lokpal movement. I knew this is where i belonged and this one incident helped dispel any doubts that i had.
Today i was witness to a contrast of life that left me numb. It was the first weekend of Anna's protest, so i along with my ofc colleagues decided to go and support Anna Hazare in his fight for an effective Lokpal Bill at the Ramlila Maidan. We reached Ramlila Maidan in the afternoon and were humbled by the massive turnout in his support. People had come from near and far - in metro, car, bike, autos, some even on foot-all with one aim-to tell Anna Hazare that they support him in this fight and to pray for his well being.
It seemed that India has once again woken up and started bothering about its way of life.
In the evening I had to cover an event at one of the high profile clubs in Delhi. I reach their half heartedly, my heart still at Ramlila Maidan. And I see one of the most hep crowds of Delhi - in the sportiest cars - wearing the brands i fail to even think of. To put things further in perspective - the minimum cost of entry to the place was Rs 4000 and it went up to Rs 1.5 lakhs - WTF! 1.5 lakhs for 5 hrs - and to add insult to injury - the entire place was so overfilled that it became next to impossible NOT to tip toe on other's feet.
In a short span of less than 24 hrs - I saw two India's - one fighting for their basic rights which provide a hope of better living - and another which hardly cares about the hoo haa going around, busy spending their 'hard earned' money.
India is not only a nation where people from different religion and regions coexist - but also where people from diametrically opposite economic conditions live and exist peacefully. Jai Hind!
The best part in all this was that when i saw the elite of Delhi, with the hottest wheels, in the prettiest clothes, my heart didnt ache to be one among them. It was more than happy that it cud be a part of the Lokpal movement. I knew this is where i belonged and this one incident helped dispel any doubts that i had.
1 comment:
Very difficult to digest this contrast, though all of us know that it exists.
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