I come from India, a country rich in culture, where unity lies in diversity. Where more than 19,500 dialects are spoken. From where come the two epics, the Ramayana and the Mahabharata which still inspire millions across the world, philosophically and logically.
I come from India, where people still discriminate basis religion, caste, race and gender. Where female infanticide and child marriage still happen.
I come from India, which produces the largest number of engineers and doctors. Where zero was invented by the great mathematician, Aryabhata. The place, which is known for the oldest civilisation, the Indus Valley civilisation. The civilisation which was known for its planned layouts, street lighting, an underground drainage system and what not!
I come from India, where it is difficult to find a smooth road. Where water- logging is common. Where a metropolitan city can also get flooded while just a few kilometres away, lakhs must stand outside a water tanker and collect their daily supply of water.
I come from India where people are blind. Where people don’t see what is happening to their nature. Where people don’t see what is happening to their children. Where people are killing their creativity. The country that hasn’t had a single Nobel Laureate in the core disciplines in the past 72 years.
What is wrong? Is it the system? Is it the civilians? Is it the government? What has happened to us? What is going to happen to us? What went wrong after the Independence? Wasn’t everything wrong before Independence? Wasn’t it supposed to be right after that?
But I know the answer to only one question:
How can we change?
What has already happened can’t be changed. But we can change the future. By opening our eyes. We just need to move our eyes away from the gadgets and look around us. Remove the negatives. By doing our part. By writing. By spreading awareness. By blogging. By vlogging. By leading campaigns. By doing our bit, however insignificant it may seem.
Because the future of India lies in the hands of its youth, the ones who are going to experience the future India. The future India, they yet can shape, they yet can build.
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Written in Grade 7.