Indian Standard Time...
It Was An Event Called "Vasant Vyakhyanmala" In Lonavla,
I Went There As A Teenager With Nothing Much In Mind........
On The Stage There Was A Senior Person In Traditional Robes, Sitting Quiet...
And The Moment He Stood Up And Started Speaking,
The Audience In Front Was "Spellbound"!
He First Congratulated The Organizers For Starting The Program On Time And Then...
With All The Right And The Might, He Urged The Public To Take Serious Note Of A Concept Of..
"INDIAN STANDARD TIME".
He Roared-
"Yeah, We All Know, We Have Got So Much Used To It! Haven't We?
Getting Late And Calling It "INDIAN STANDARD TIME"!
But Is It Not Shameful For Each One Of Us?
On One Hand We Say- "We Are Proud To Be Indians"!
And On The Other, We Say -
'We Are Not Late, We Are On Time As Per INDIAN STANDARD TIME"!"
..........His Words Were Sharp Stones Being Thrown Upon
Growing "CHALTA HAI" Attitude Amongst Us.
I Was Simply Fascinated, I Began Wondering-
"Why Was I Not Attentive In Beginning Of The Program, When He Was Introduced"?
.....May Be Due To Past Experiences Of
"Some Other Speakers" Who Were Merely A Nightmare,
Especially For A Boy Roughly 17 Years Young.
The Man Imparting Patriotism To The Coming Generations Was-
"Prakash Bhai Mohadikar".
A Brave Freedom Fighter, A Determined Social Worker, An Inspiration For All Age groups.
Even Today, At The Age Beyond Ninety, Prakashbhai Is Serving The Nation
By Spreading The Prakash (Light) Of Inspiration Through Sharing His Wisdom.
Now You Must Be Wondering Why Is This Being Recalled Now?
Yesterday, I Had A Holiday, And Was Late To Meet One Of My Dear Friends,
Obviously, I Was Little Angry With Myself;
But I Was Glad As Well...
You Know Why? Because I Also Used To Be One Of Those,
Who Have No Shame In Saying-
'We Are Not Late, We Are On Time As Per INDIAN STANDARD TIME"!
Thanks To That One Evening,
I Started Becoming A Citizen,
Who Is Not Just Proud Of Being Indian;
But Also A Citizen, Who Has Begun To Understand-
It Is Our Duty To Behave With Responsibily
In Order To "Remain" Proud Of Being Indian,
Indeed, Vigilance Is The Price Of Liberty.
On 15th August 2010, Celebrating Our Independence Day In Style,
Lets Pledge To Erase The Existing Concept Of "INDIAN STANDARD TIME"
So Our Coming Generations Will Be Able To Say-
"I Am Proud Of My Country's Rich And Varied Heritage"!
For Our Well Being And Prosperity Together,
Lets Start a War Against Our Own Lazyness,
Jai Hind, Jai Bharat!
