The New Face of Nationalism...

Came out of the workshop test today and it was raining cats and dogs outside...Of course, I love the rain (as is no doubt clear from my previous post) but it does become a bit constricting, especially when you are wary of letting yourself get soaked for the fear of falling ill during this weird phenomenon of weather change...So I took up the task of watching Rang de Basanti...a movie that almost the whole of the Indian youth seem to have watched (all my friends have!!!) except maybe for me.

Believe me three hours is a long time for me to sit at one place...I'm very much an active person...I must have activity in my life...so it was a remarkable task for me to sit through the whole of the movie at one go. So how did this happen? I might prepare myself for some brickbats and jeers when I say that the film, in its essence - especially when you see it as a stand-alone work from the point of film-making - isn't the greatest...The acting goes over the top at places...the story isn't watertight and the direction isn't foolproof.

But it's the message that struck the right chords for me...it's the emerging new face of Indian nationalism that made me sit up and take notice (even though the message is a bit convulted to satisfy the public's craving for drama).

Today we have come a full circle with our nationalism...There is no place in today's society for the nationalistic fervour which the freedom movement witnessed...In its place, a more subtle and sophisticated attitude has emerged...Indian nationalism has transcended from the collective strength of the community to the unique qualities of an individual...It is as if India today understands and encourages the power of the individual...It is like 'As an individual begins his meteoric rise, he takes with him his entourage - all the people who are with him...near him - and so the chain continues and the society becomes progressive once more...

It is not just about fighting now...It's no longer 'theirs only to do and die'...it's about making an educated choice...it's about deciding our own destiny...it's about the will to make a difference...it's about the desire to go forward...