Parading our might

 

Every year, on January 26, the Republic Day, India witnesses a grand parade down the Rajpath. Observing it, one question I repeatedly ask myself is: What message does such grandeur send out? My problem is not with celebrating nationhood, but the manner in which we do it. Such naked show of ‘military might’ may look flattering, but how does it benefit us as a nation? Yes, we are all proud Indians, but can we not commemorate the occasion by actually contributing towards nation building in some way, instead of doing and watching ceremonious parades that meaninglessly exhibit combat capabilities on the streets? Maybe, we can spend the day doing something as simple as planting trees or cleaning our locality or even distributing books free of cost to those unable to afford basic education?

Fahd Alam Hazarika,

Guwahati, Assam