“Jai Hind” -The Proud Roar of 1.3 billion Indians

“Jai Hind”  -The Proud Roar of 1.3 billion Indians

“Jai Siya Ram” “Ram ram ji”, “As salam walekum” “Good Morning” “ Kem Cho” “Namaskaram” “Vannakam” “Kasa Kay” “Kemon Acchen” “Khuda Hafis”  just a few of the vast array of social salutations that dots the rich social fabric of Bharat. Based on pure linguistic divisions, some on cultural and yet many on religious and personal belief systems.

The Indian society has been witnessing new waves lashing at it across centuries and centuries. Some waves silently ebbing out and yet some waves merging quietly and creating a new hue which adds to the colorful palate that is India. Throughout these lashings and infusions etc. the inherent character of the Indian society has stayed obstinate, atleast  until the period around our independence, across all these many hundreds of years.

The Plural nature of having multiple streams of thoughts, beliefs, sects and yet existing cohesively in a society that was commonly bonded by a culture which seeped across most of the multiple streams of thoughts and belief systems in India.

And this led to phenomena where it was common to see people, especially in the Hindi heartland, to greet each other with “Ram Ram”s  as they met and when they left, and it did not matter if it was a Muslim or a Hindu who was not essentially a Ram Bhakt. The “Ram Ram “ was purely a social tool and had been insulated from any religious or belief connotations.

The great cultural web of Bharat which held together for centuries felt its first tremors post-independence when the first small saplings of religious conquest were sown in this land mass which has given birth to many religions and belief systems which has always flown freely without ever wanting to conquer and capture.

Bharat was always a ALSO region and never an ONLY region.

As this transition from ALSO society towards a far-fetched dream for an ONLY region, which we are currently witnessing, extends its tentacles, we are seeing many aspects of Indian social life changing.

A glaring example would be the neo & sudden resistance to the use of “Vande Mataram” which the Muslims in majority believe to be un-Islamic.

Now take a look at a Urdu newspaper in Lahore of the 1930s named Vande Mataram owned by a Indian who was ALSO a Muslim. There was no issue.

But when you shift the scene to the present day, we have a few Indians who are not ALSO but who are ONLY. And then everything about them changes. Including their salutations.

“Khuda Hafis” was again one of those “Ram Ram” salutations which was used with no connections or connotations to religion or any belief systems.

But the recent decades have seen the slow yet growing deployment of social salutations which were NO MORE innocent Hi Hellos but were smaller components of a larger product with objectives more complex than saying a Hi or a Hello.

So while the very soft sounding and widely used “Khuda Hafis” was changed to a more specific “Allah Hafis”, the “Ram Ram” general spectrum hello now took a saffron hue and popularly deployed as “Jai Shri Ram”. And this, like mentioned earlier, were small tools of a larger design to divide, build & nurture constituencies to mint political currencies. In the same melee of narrow and anti-national narrative many salutations which have been an integral part of our history and society became victims. Including immortal freedom struggle salutations like “Vande Mataram”

While the mechanisms of the political class of the nation is busy protecting and focusing on self sustainance at any and every cost, there is another unique Indian social phenomenon which, again, adamantly has survived for centuries, the phenomenon of retaining the streak of high patriotism and intent to sacrifice everything for the cause of the nation. In earlier ages this often ran parallel to the protection of dharma and often clubbed as Desh & Dharma. In post independence India, this social streak is hosted mainly across platforms offered by the defence services and a slew of other organizations focused on nation protection. The Armed forces.

Year after year, layer after layer, family after family, from every nook and corner of the country, from the smallest of villages to the urban cities, we have the finest and bravest of Indians, laying their lives for the nation, without even blinking their eyes. And each new sacrifice scaling new heights of bravery and love for the motherland. Instead of being dettered, each martyrdom fueled the fire to enthuse the next lot.

It is indeed heart wrenching  to be an impotent witness to such un-diluted acts of national sacrifice on one hand and have this cacophonic and criminal cracks to divide and weaken the nation. Each act of divide literally abusing the immortal sacrifice by every soldier and ther families, all in the name of ONE strong motherland, India.

Many Indians, led by many more in political and public life go through the daily grind of life sleeping, eating, working, earning and enjoying peacefully, only because there are blessed with an extremely committed armed forces who ensure peace.

Unfazed by malicious attempts to divide and demoralize the nation, including the armed forces, the armed forces, unperturbed and even actually unaware, carry on their sacred duty towards the motherland and adorn their paths with invaluable sacrifices.

And while doing the biggest duty to the country one common salutation that powers our armed forces is “Jai Hind”

“Jai Hind” two words that encapsulate an entire tome of Indian history. Two words which embraces centuries of emotional historical facts from Tatya Tope, Rani Laxmibai from 1857 to Bhagat Singh, Sukhdev, Tilak, Patel, Bose to every known and little known solider martyred in line of duty in Kashmir and the borders of our country.

“Jai Hind” two words that charged Netaji’s Indian National Army strong enough to jerk the mighty British from their colonial slumber.

Two little words that measure up to the tallest salute ever to the bravery of our soldiers. Two little words that Honor, Respect and Celebrate everything that not only the armed forces stand for but for the greatness of the motherland, Hindustan, Bharat, India, that has mothered us all. Mother India. Maa Bharati.

“Jai Hind” a salutation which bonds and binds India, which venerates and enthuses the hearts of every Indian to remember, respect and work towards the glory the nation.

“Jai Hind”  

If every solider signs up with the armed forces and smilingly agrees to offer his life on his palms for the country, then, cant we the PUBLIC reciprocate by GIVING UP any form of salutation and adopt “Jai Hind” as our national greeting in well-deserved respect and gratefulness to our armed forces ?????

Cant we ?????

Just imagine the enthusing power of over a billion people who meet and greet with just two little words. Two powerful words. “Jai Hind” Each time any Indian uses “Jai Hind” the fire of nationalism will be re-charged. Each “Jai Hind” will add to the “Amar Jyot” that will protect and propel the nation’s glorious future. Two words “Jai Hind” that will help build ONE India and stubbornly fight nefarious designs to divide and damage our nation.

They give up their lives and adopt sacrifices.

Can we not adopt “Jai Hind” ?

Is that asking for too much ??? Wouldn’t it help build a great feeling ???

I now pledge to only greet every Indian I meet with “Jai Hind”.

I will also sincerely try my best to get my close friends and associates to adopt “Jai Hind”.

This can be OUR small common man’s  “Surgical Strike” against enemies of the nation.

“Jai Hind”

How about you ?

“Jai Hind”

The roar of 1.3 billion Indians!!!!!