Decolonisation was chance (probably last) to be free of worship of hierarchy and ritual of fear . Now sarcasm is the only coping laddo we are going to get out of it. Azad desh ki Gulami mubarak .
Anurag, these last few newsletters have been wonderful to read. Thank you.
This paragraph is such a treat - at so many different levels.
Back then, my favourite anthem was Hum Honge Kamyab Ek Din, a tame Hindi cousin of We Shall Overcome, a song that once carried the revolutionary weight of America’s civil rights marches. By the time it floated onto All India Radio, the clenched fist had morphed into the Instagram wave emoji. It was no longer meant to challenge power but to amuse it, performed before principals nodding politely and politicians clapping on cue. This is how India prefers its rebellion, imported, declawed, and delayed until the chief guest rolls in with a Toyota Fortuner.
Its a depressing view of India . I agree with all that you have written. When i was in school, the history text books were filled with the freedom struggle which narrated one revolutionary act to the other spanning an entire century almost ! It did feel very disconnected then , as it felt tedious , boring and with no inspiring teachers , there was a struggle to keep the sense of awe alive ! Now i realise , that we as a nation , best unite if there is a cause ...the sense of outrage , the seeming threat to nationalism is the only way to come together. Hoping for a better civic society, kinder society , less bureaucratic society ..is often looked on with a bit of confusion ' to what end ' !
In my time back in the 1970s, when we were in middle school, Independence day was us Tamils mumbling the national anthem and waiting for those kidney-shaped orange sweets that were handed out, year after year. One of the nerdy kids was usually called upon to make a speech and usually she or he by-hearted sections of Nehru's 'tryst with destiny' without understanding a word.
Doordarshan screened the same patriotic movies, year after year, AIR played the same film songs ...
In the 1980s we were older and rascally and the day was like any other holiday and we resented having to get up early and turn up in school.
Decolonisation was chance (probably last) to be free of worship of hierarchy and ritual of fear . Now sarcasm is the only coping laddo we are going to get out of it. Azad desh ki Gulami mubarak .
Lovely piece of writing - racy, contemporary, full of humour and sarcasm yet making deep points. Enjoyed every bit of it.
Thank you🙌
Inspired to do a tricolor collage
Thank you for writing
Anurag, these last few newsletters have been wonderful to read. Thank you.
This paragraph is such a treat - at so many different levels.
Back then, my favourite anthem was Hum Honge Kamyab Ek Din, a tame Hindi cousin of We Shall Overcome, a song that once carried the revolutionary weight of America’s civil rights marches. By the time it floated onto All India Radio, the clenched fist had morphed into the Instagram wave emoji. It was no longer meant to challenge power but to amuse it, performed before principals nodding politely and politicians clapping on cue. This is how India prefers its rebellion, imported, declawed, and delayed until the chief guest rolls in with a Toyota Fortuner.
Its a depressing view of India . I agree with all that you have written. When i was in school, the history text books were filled with the freedom struggle which narrated one revolutionary act to the other spanning an entire century almost ! It did feel very disconnected then , as it felt tedious , boring and with no inspiring teachers , there was a struggle to keep the sense of awe alive ! Now i realise , that we as a nation , best unite if there is a cause ...the sense of outrage , the seeming threat to nationalism is the only way to come together. Hoping for a better civic society, kinder society , less bureaucratic society ..is often looked on with a bit of confusion ' to what end ' !
| The song itself was gibberish
What?
In my time back in the 1970s, when we were in middle school, Independence day was us Tamils mumbling the national anthem and waiting for those kidney-shaped orange sweets that were handed out, year after year. One of the nerdy kids was usually called upon to make a speech and usually she or he by-hearted sections of Nehru's 'tryst with destiny' without understanding a word.
Doordarshan screened the same patriotic movies, year after year, AIR played the same film songs ...
In the 1980s we were older and rascally and the day was like any other holiday and we resented having to get up early and turn up in school.
Rituals of freedom.
👏 couldn’t have said it better
Superb essay. So many stories, but such a clear-eyed narration.
Happy independence day 🇮🇳, this truly was a meaningful piece of writing. Thank you for writing!
this writing blew my mind