I have been standing next to the speaker for whole of my life.. I still remember my father describing vividly the night when Pandit Nehru first spoke in the house of a free nation. The enthusiasm, the honor and the optimism was infectious, every single one of them sitting there was filled with a resolve to do something for the nation. For the motherland that had been torn apart and reduced to debris by foreign rule. I could feel their hearts pounding, their hands taping on the desks, my dreams for my nation had no limits, we were all set to march forward and resurrect the nation, which had long been lost. On the shoulders of giants we were,  and so shall we stride, I affirmed silently but strongly to myself that, we would make those shoulders proud. That we would make those sacrifices count. My India was now rising from the ashes of so many setbacks, world would be surprised if we could even stand up on our feet, but we all knew, we had to do a ton more than that. To be able to witness all this must have been a blessing and an absolute privilege.

Then suddenly shouting howling and swearing wakes me up from my dream, as I watch  the leaders of today quarrel over scams, blaming each other for all the wrong that has happened. The speaker sits speechless, waiting for the scene to go just enough out of control, to be able to call it a day and go back home. As I see people getting out some are angry, some too sleepy to walk straight, some even laughing and patting each other over accomplishing another useless day.

How did it come to this, I wonder at times, I for one am not allowed to speak, but god only knows how much I want to. I stand there amongst the room full of people allegedly the ones supposed to lead the country to glory and all I see is utter chaos and disregard for duty and honor. All I see is people boxed in walls of scams, blatantly living untouched, unharmed. There are a few perhaps still serious about changing things for the better but they are an awful small minority. Sometimes I wish if I could shout at them or beseech them to see what they are doing, what chasm of unending downfall they are pushing their nation into, they might just snap out of it and become serious about their jobs, if I could snatch the mike from the speaker and shout at them not as a leader but as a simple Indian who wants to see a better tomorrow is there any chance they would listen. Can it be true that all they need is a speech to shake them up. Could the corrupt surrender to justice, could the avarice give way to duty. Could there be a better tomorrow if we simply start genuinely dreaming about it. Would they suddenly realize what they have made their nation into, would they get out of the filth of greed and hoarding everything till nothing is left or no there is no more space to hoard, could they be Indians again.. I do not know but if it could, believe me, I would speak my lungs out.