The Tolerant Indian!

I found the sun shining bright when I woke up, warming the planet, just like any other sunny day.

I found the earth spinning around the solar system, tolerant of the evolved beings’ misdeed, just like any other earthy day.

I found the plants wafting in the gentle morning breeze, waving at me, just like any other breezy day.

I found the stagnant rainwater, shimmering in the light, with nowhere to go, just like any other rainy day.

I found my 4-legged daughters waging their tails & licking my face, just like any other lovely day.

I found my family up and moving around, meditating & doing daily chorse, just like any other busy day.

I found my son going through text books, solving problems and preparing for his exam, just like any other studious day.

I found the electricity was out at 11pm yesternight and back at 7am today, just like any other powerless day.

I found my phone, tablet, PC, laptop, broadband, cellular & satellite TV connections working fine, just like any other connected day.

I found the newspaper filled with negativity delivered a bit late, just like any other newsy day.

I found yet another celebrity in the eye of the media storm, worried about intolerance, just like any other noisy day.

I found that he singlehandedly revived the whole intolerance noise that fell silent, just like any other vociferous day.

I found the loony toonish high & mighty jumping on the bandwagon merrily, just like any other talkative day.

I found the head of my nation, chosen by people like me, mocked time and again by lackeys, just like any other chamchagiri day.

I found the high decibel voices of intolerance have enjoyed the good Life for long, in my motherland, just like any other thankless day.

I found my nation’s culture, wealth & might have been systematically eroded by marauding invaders, just like any tyrant’s day.

I found those who strain their vocal chord daily to denounce my nation’s greatness are intolerant about its potential revival, just like those invaders of the glorious old days.

I found I can go about doing my business without fear, daily, in my country, when even developed nations declare emergency, just like any other terror-filled day.

I found I can aspire to do whatever I want, despite my birth still decides where & what I can study and where do I work, just like any other competitive day.

I found living happily in my own property, bought with my own hard earned money, being able to go where I want and do what I want, enjoying the rights of my citizenship, just like any other lawful day.

I found renting my own property to a group of majority & minority friends wasn’t a challenge, just like any other regular day.

I found my nation’s sports teams filled with talented majority & minority players winning laurels at the global level, just like any other sporty day.

I found I can walk into a store or sign in an app and buy whatever I want, just like any other business-as-usual day.

I found myself hearing from loudspeakers the rendering of prayer 5 times a day, the sermons on Sundays and devotional hymns on gods & goddesses on festival days, just like any other religious day.

I found myself able to follow a Guru of my choice, practice Yoga of any kind and pursue the omnipresent Truth, without entangling myself in religious beliefs, just like any other spiritual day.

I found myself marveling at the hardworking police, fire service & armed service personnel going about their business regulating, protecting, rescuing & helping all in need, just like any other thankful day.

I found myself speechless at the willingness of the armed service personnel to lay down their Life to protect my safety, just like any other respectful day.

I found myself pondering the pointless intolerance debate stalling progress of my nation forward, day after day, just like any other past-dwelling day.

I found myself wondering at so many elitist glitterati having nothing to do productively but yak, yak & yak about intolerance, just like any other vacuous day.

I found myself simmering at the wily politicians always willing to sing along, while enjoying all the perks of being a politician, just like any other silly day.

I found the commoner going about his/her business, trying to eke out a living, working hard for the love of the family, just like any other hard day.

I found the elected leader of my proud nation, diligently going about his business to elevate my India from developing to developed status, just like any other focused day.

I found those who hung on to power, along with their chamchas & chelas, still find it hard to digest that their time robbing my nation of its greatness over, just like any other regressive day.

I found myself content, hopeful and joyful, when I remain a simple citizen, keeping aside all my titles & awards, celebrity status, intellectual might and political clout, thinking about what I can I do to make my nation move ahead and grow, just like any other thoughtful day.

I found myself dreaming of a developed nation where any Indian will be proud to learn the culture, produce goods, earn and spend honestly, share and care willingly and join hands with fellow Indians to make my once-great nation great again, just like any hopeful day.

I found myself ignoring the nagging noise, brushing aside crude criticism and focusing on useful action based on valuable insights, just like any other progressive day.

I found myself being able to do useful, valuable, purposeful and respectful things, when I really start doing things than just talking about things, just like any other purposeful day.

I found myself being among billions of peaceful, hopeful and proud Indians who love their motherland, family, friends, neighbours & even strangers, irrespective of religion, caste or status, just like a positive day.

I am the simple Indian, who tolerates competitive survival in a complex world.

I am the studious Indian, who tolerates ridiculous rote learning to gain knowledge.

I am the hardworking Indian, who tolerates lack of recognition to earn for living.

I am the loving Indian, who tolerates hatred of any form to show love is God.

I am the caring Indian, who tolerates apathy of any kind to care for needs of fellow beings.

I am the argumentative Indian, who tolerates vehement opponents to highlight the value of his point.

I am the religious Indian, who tolerates any insult to my most tolerant religion, which was magnanimous enough to accept not only different perspectives of Truth but even dissent and other faiths.

I am the non-celebrity Indian, who tolerates the smug indifference of celebrities to show respect for talent.

I am the non-intellectual Indian, who tolerates the superficial noise of pseudo secularist intellectual glitterati to show intelligence is more precious than intellect.

I am the powerless Indian, who tolerates the abuse of power by netas & babus to show the powerful their place at election time.

I am the rational Indian, who tolerates irrational arguments against an elected government, to show change is hard but inevitable.

I am the nondescript Indian, who tolerates the arrogance of high & mighty to show being faceless doesn’t mean being rightless.

I am the diverse Indian, who tolerates the shameless attempts by politicians to use the diversity for their survival to show diversity has been, is and will continue to be my strength. 

I am the nationalist Indian, who tolerates the taunts of all trying to destabilize my nation to show being patriotic is my birthright.

I am the intrepid Indian, who tolerates waves of invasions to loot my nation and convert my faithful to show the depth of my greatness.

I am the united Indian, who tolerates all pathetic attempts to divide my nation to show we all are Indians, united by our faith in this great nation.

I am the modern Indian, who tolerates any horrendous act to portray my nation in poor light to show ancient glory can help fuel modern progress.

I am the proud Indian, who tolerates insensitive comments about my motherland’s glorious past to show she’ll regain the glory all over again.

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I am The Tolerant Indian, whose tolerance is boundless. And strengthened by an ancient vibrant culture that was inventive, progressive, liberating and empowering, many millennia ago, when many so-called developed nations weren’t even born. 

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So are you. At least supposed to be, being born in this great nation. If you aren’t, for whatever reason, I am tolerant enough to discuss your needless apprehensions, clarify your unnecessary doubts and help you know and appreciate my motherland’s greatness.

Mera Bharat Mahaan!

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Be joyful & spread the cheer 🙂

And don’t ever forget to love & respect your nation!

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@PrakashSwamy

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Note: If you prefer to listening than reading, click here to listen to “The Tolerant Indian!” in Swamy’s voice.