Shadow

I’m sneaking in through the smoke,

I’m racing ahead in the light,

Prancing past as you look down upon me,

Ballet dancer they call me so graceful,

Moving with the wind,

As silent as a cold wintry night,

Wound-up viper would be an understatement,

Just a cobra ready to strike,

Not the hunted but the hunter I am,

You can’t hold me, you can’t control me,

There is no fear, no pain, no mercy,

You may be a part, but I am the game,

No definite past and an undefined future,

I am all you have, the last resort,

Darkness is my only ally,

Silence is my family, all of it,

I don’t have a face fixed, so many,

But shadow they call me,

I rise when the sun falls,

And I never fall.

We Fight, 'Cause We Are The Same

We are two, of the same blood,

Neighbors, with a bond, brothers,

From the same mother-land,

Natives and relatives we share,

Yet we fight, we kill, we hate,

Each other, today, from the last 60,

From the day we took birth,

A reason, absent, truly invisible,

We share tastes, we share interests,

We share love too, deep hidden it is,

We don’t differ, in who we are,

In essence we are the same,

Brothers squabbling over a piece of cake,

Unnecessarily destroying each other,

Harming each other, wounding each other,

We can smile, together,

We can lead, together,

We can enjoy, together,

Our cells wish the same,

Though with those bitter memories,

The rebels throw us back, from handshakes,

Bullets fly, and innocent blood flows,

There’s a boundary, separating us,

But no wall to break, then why,

Why are we different, if we are the same,

In blood, in essence, related,

Brothers, carved from the same mother,

For the sake of, no reason at all,

We fight, just because we are the same.

Here is a video which you must watch- a great song with the perfect combination of meaningful and true lyrics, along with impeccable music.

Happy Independence Day

Beefed up security on the roads,

Orange, white and green fluttering valiantly in the air,

Happy Independence Day my Indian brothers and sisters.

Jai Hind!!

My Country, My Pride

Good morning to one and all present here. I feel extremely honored to welcome this whole throng today. Dear students and respected teachers, please put your hands together for the troupe from Cambridge University.

Atithi Devo Bhava- the guest is God. This Sanskrit verse from the Hindu scripture has become part of the code of conduct for not only the Hindu society but for the whole Indian nation. The Ministry of Tourism recently endorsed this verse in their campaign to improve the treatment of tourists in our nation. We hope we adhere to this tradition and offer you intense care and make your visit in our country memorable.

Our country is home to one of the oldest civilizations of the world- the Indus Valley civilization. As time has passed, India has grown with the world and has kept up pace with the major nations all around the world. But, what keeps us at a different level from the world is our diverse culture.

Supporting a population of 1.2 billion people, India is one of the most populated nations. Comprising of 28 states and 7 union territories, our nation has several, and by that I mean a huge amount, languages which are used on a day-to-day basis in petty conversation by people. But, I would say that even though this nation is divided into around thirty parts, the people always stand united; be it for the fight for independence or be it against the black evils of corruption and terrorism.

The religious hub not only for Hindus, our nation is home to almost all of the religions in the world. Four of the major religions have originated in this country- Hinduism, Jainism, Sikhism, and Buddhism- and the other religions of Christianity, Islam and Zoroastrianism made their way into this nation soon after that. This is the only nation in the world, where every human has several Gods in which he believes from the bottom of his heart.

India has not been at all backward in the regions of the arts. Carnatic and Hindustani music are the major streams of music which evolved in India and are now practiced by renowned musicians all around the world. But this is only the music side. Frescos and other visual art forms have also been omnipresent in our country since historical times. Rock temples and unique sculptures have been excavated and uncovered at each and every place in this country. Bharatnatyam, Kathak and other extraordinary dance forms have also progressed to rule the dance world globally. There are troupes like yours which are attracted to these vivid arts and they approach our nation to get knowledge of these unique dances.

As I move on to the scientific history of this nation, I can proudly say that Aryabhatta, a fellow countryman was the brain behind the zero. In the current labour market, it is statistically confirmed that India is successful in producing the best engineers. Also, medical treatment in India is world renowned and people from high and low visit our country to get treated from varied ailments.

Last but not the least; the Indian economy is one of the countries which recovered from the global recession some years ago. A nation developing at a rate faster than many nations, India manages to employ a major part of its population rather than be faced with unemployment issues. A major hub for the software industry, India earns in earnest.

Unity, harmony and peace. These words signify what is important for each and every Indian. We live for our country. We care for our guests and treat them like God. We are present at every stage in the production process, from agriculture to the services industry. We try to be happy and to keep others happy and that is evident as we have one of the largest tourism sectors all around the world.

I hope you all enjoy your stay in our diverse nation, and feel our treatment satisfactory. Thank you.

Democracy: Is it good or bad??

The great man, Abraham Lincoln, said after the Civil War that “This nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom-and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth." The meaning of this short statement announces the fact that at that precise moment, the 16^th American President declared his nation to be a democracy. This word has been used by various independent nations who have wanted to be registered as nations wanting the betterment of the human race. But is it rightly so? Do democracies work to better the lives of people? Or do they erode into people’s life and danger the continuity of the human race?

Democracy is a form of government in which all eligible citizens have an equal say in the decisions that affect their lives. Democracy allows eligible citizens to participate equally—either directly or through elected representatives—in the creation of laws. It enables the free and equal practice of political self-determination. Democracies tend to exist in two ways- direct, and representative. In representative democracies, a group of representatives is elected by the people who work on behalf of the whole populace for the betterment of the nation. Elections take place at periodic intervals, and between these intervals there can not be a change in the Government. If a wrong choice has been made by the citizens, it is them who will suffer for the period of time. But, as we say this statement, we make a lot of assumptions. Isn’t it the people who chose the representatives? If they made a wrong decision, shouldn’t they pay for it? From this we can say that true democracies do tend to make wrong decisions and suffer for short periods of time, but in the long run, they do tend to prosper as the people want the nation to.

On examining an economic free market- managed by the private sector- we take note that the free market responds extremely quickly to provide what people want. When we compare this to a democracy, we can notice the indirect similarities in both of them. As a democracy is ruled by its people, it will tend to provide what people really need and want. Thus the satisfaction of people in the government and the nation is bound to increase. And as the satisfaction and confidence of the people increases, a democracy is bound to strengthen and grow.

There are some specific times, when a direct democracy can work against global objectives. Situations like wars, terrorist attacks and fights for religion, caste, etc have a propensity to cause people to make decisions not rightful on the global front. These decisions seem right for the people of the nation, but may be harming the world as a whole. But aren’t some of these impulsive decisions needed? Wasn’t the assassination of Osama bin Laden needed? That decision was made covertly by the American Government in action to its’ citizens wants. A nation has no right to harm a citizen of another nation without proper legal notice, but this impulsive action did work for betterment of the human race.

Politics is not a lay man’s job. It requires proper training and a certain intellectual level. But democracies bisect this theory and oppose this principle. By allowing normal people to make decisions for their nation, countries may work to escalate global issues to very high levels which may harm the human race as a whole. Also, in the decision-making process, nations include the opinions of people uninterested by harmony and peace. This is how democracies may harm the world.

Summarizing this topic, we can say that democracies usually work towards being positive for people. They take all the views of all the people and add them up to better living standards and living conditions. Development of nations will progress as the people want, and they are the ones who will shape their and their country's future.