On Our 60th Day of Independence: Are we Independent?

Posted by: Vijay on: August 13, 2007

• In: Chennai | Politics
• 12 Comments

Orkut has an image of Orkut painted in the Indian colors as the frontpage banner. I guess thats a good gesture for all the orkutters who hail from India. I see a second page article on “The Hindu”, one of the biggest and well-circulated, well respected print media about a group of college students who made a sixty foot postcard for the 60th independence day of India. Apparently, it was an attempt to get into the Limca book of records as well. I do not know whether they made it or not, but its almost irrelevant to me now.

A group of us friends sat together over coffee wondering if there is something we could plan for independence day that could bring like-minded folks out of their homes and together to a common ground. Most of the plans that I had in mind, do require some pre-planning (hint hint, do expect something next year, or for Republic Day), so we were forced to go back to the drawing board to think and rethink of something simple and effective work.

For one, I do have a change in heart. I am not set out to change anyone anymore. That’s for sure. Appealing to humanity, or begging for the box of patriotism to tip over and overflow is too much to ask for. People either have it or they don’t. If they do, its actually quite easy to get them out and as part of the parade. if they don’t… its as simple as dragging a simpleton and getting him to bootstrap a company. Its actually a scary thing…. something which is almost sure-set to fail; that too quite miserably.

After some thoughts, out of the blue came the idea. Stop wishing and do something that we all wish was better. “Be the change” seems like an apt message to use, but of course over-cliched as well, so let me stay away from it.

The concept is simple: We are going to fix sixty or more potholes in the roads of Chennai. There is a wiki setup at http://pothole.pbwiki.com/ (thanks to Sagaro for the initiative). If you want to be involved, or want to do the least by letting us know of some potholes in some roads, with some landmarks, we would very much appreciate it.

One thing is very clear. Mahesh (the second guy in the three party ideation team) put it very vividly. “We are not out to make a point in humanity. We are not trying to do a service to anyone. We are going to do this, because the streets are our responsibility, and our property and undertaking is further than than the fence of your own home.”

Divya, the third one in this group, calls this act/movement/whatever you might think event as “I Fix”, where I could mean an individual or India Itself. I kinda like the play with words.

We do this not because we are nobler by any means. We are set to do this because democracy is the best kind of government to have, and it simply wont work unless we pitch in too. That’s my two cents.