Being an Indian First.

Not so long ago when was I in school, primary to be precise, the one thing that I’d eagerly wait for was our annual vacation as we packed off to our hometown in Goa, but the irony of it all was that as we reached there our relatives would announce it loud (the Bomoikars) that is people from Bombay have come, and the irony continued as I would reach back to school we were known as ‘Macs’ the alias for Goans and not Goanise as some whackos call it…

So the dilemma in me continues to remain not in a serious way, but it always makes me think, but I know deep down wherever I may come from I am always an Indian first, and these words give me a feeling of pride and sense of belonging. Truly in today’s time there is no better place to be in rather than India. Yet the very diversity that holds a billion people together is being questioned and is being put thru the test, in a way the British once did, the age old policy of ‘divide and rule’ is now being practiced by the so called sons of the soil, who in their race to supremacy and power are disturbing the social fabric of our society as if we were owned by them. And it pains to see the same time and again… Bombay yes you read it right Bombay is what it is by the various people who lived here and contributed in making a difference. There are names that I want to mention but I will not for they might just create a bias, because you can’t really ignore a single person’s contribution be it your local bhelpuri wala or a popular Filmstar or even the wealthy business tycoon. Every single being contributes in making Bombay the place it is, yet when the sons of the soil came into power, they played the cards well and renamed this glorious city thus trying to create a social rift… and this age old game still continues so much so that their very own and our superhero of cricket – the master blaster Sachin got the bitter taste, for simply being an Indian first…

I don’t really know how long will this continue and more so in one of the most cosmopolitan cities of India where our so called political leader behave worst than criminals, they are the ones who are first to break the law and yet our administration is never prompt in taking any action. The latest to this great sons of the soil tamasha was the attacks on a news media channel, wherein some goons keyed by the big bosses come in hit employees even women, destroy property and even the editor is not spared thus creating a situation - a situation that reminded of what happened last November when 10 armed gunmen came and held our city to ransom.. There seems to be no similarity between the sons of the soil and the terrorists per se…

And as the irony about me being a bomikar or Goan will play on as I think about it and smile, there are no two ways about me belonging to a beautiful city called Bombay but being an Indian First.