Pseudo Nationals and Opinionless Crowd

After many days, got some time to write.


Almost 10 years ago, April 2003.
Place Lucknow, Chinahat, Matiyari Crossing.

On a Sunday afternoon, I am sitting at a Barber’s shop and waiting for my turn to get my hairs trimmed.
The shop had no sign board.
As any other Barbour’s shop -

The interiors was decorated with all possible men-makeup product that local manufacturing units could have produced. Walls of the shop was fully covered with various Hindi movie stars’ posters.
There was only one barber in the shop without any helper. His long, half grayed beard was hiding the end of his face and start of his neck. On his head was a skull cap.

There I see at a corner. On a paper, handwritten (It was written in Hindu mixed Urdu) -

-- Attack on our "Kaum" (religious belief).. Tauba Tauba
-- Irak under attack ... Tauba Tauba
-- Islam Under attack ... Tauba Tauba
-- Brothers under attack ... Tauba Tauba

I couldn't agree or disagree with those words then.
I couldn't like or dislike...
But I appreciated a Barber's concern for his religious brothers in Irak.
For the people who don't even share nationality with him.
His sorrow and anger was being shown in his writings...
And so was the whole India and Indian media then.
They never openly challenged Uncle Sam's steps in Irak... however, didn't want Saddam and his force be killed either.

Lets come back to present now.
We had seen a catastrophic man made natural disaster in Uttarakhand in recent past.
Some people showed concerns, Indian army and some groups acted for relief and rescue.... etc etc.

Bad incidents are examination of a person's/country's Character.
How he reacts and responds to it, defines what he is.


A company awarded some good amount to its employees and said –
"Guys - Go and Have fun but your fun shouldn't impact the business"
Guy's thought and said
"OK Company, we shall have fun on Uncle Sam's birthday".
Company Said - "Great, this is like a good slave... muaahh"

Symbolism matters...a lot.
What do these guys do on India's Birthday?

By celebrating a foreign Country’s birthday not your own country’s and having fun in the name of “Team Bonding” at a time when the “Country Bonding” is at stake, in my opinion, you send a very wrong message.

Can we get these people collected for any social or national cause? NO
Can we expect these people save some money from their "Alcohol and Electronic Gadgets" and provide financial help to the people dying in Uttarakhand (for instance or any National disaster)? NO

It was a great opportunity, I would say, to use the money meant for these "Pseudo Nationals" fun, for a cause... which is actually need of the hour.

The upper Middle-Class, and Middle Middle-Class is increasingly becoming selfish and opinion less. (I happen to interact with these 2 classes often)

They start with I, ends with my.
I am lead, I am senior manager, my Salary, my Career Growth, my wife, my kids.... but there is no "my Country", "My Brothers and Sisters of the Country" in their list.

Actually 2 things came, almost at the same time.
(1) An appeal to employees to donate for the cause and
(2) money for them to have fun ... without disrupting the business... at a convenient time ... Uncle Sam's birthday.

Knowing that nearly none of the employees will donate for the cause, a suggestion was made to utilize the "fun fund" to donate for the Uttarakhand cause.
Knowing the opinion less crowd we have, no one would have opposed to it.

However, the idea was immediately rejected on so called "Process and Guideline for the fun-fund utilization" grounds.

Unbelievable! Which process and guideline can stop you from loving your country?
Which process and guideline should stop you caring for your people who are in trouble?
Which team bonding you are talking about (which they are saying the money is meant for)... you are clearly not bonded with your own country and culture.

The country is a "bigger team" which you never care for.
As said earlier- Bad incidents are examination of a person's/country's Character.
And yes, this opinion less crowd, which I am sure will be there in every other company, FAILED this examination.

The incident about the barber quoted above is very inspiring.
We can't condemn the barber for caring only for Muslims and Islam... at least he cares for something.
He was concerned. Although he couldn’t act but he would have acted definitely, given a chance.

These opinion less employees, can act but wont act.
Can think but won’t think.
They are pseudo nationals who as their national duty just pay Income tax (that too by TDS which is forcibly imposed on them...given a choice, they won’t pay any tax for sure).

Unfortunately the number of pseudo nationals is increasingly large which not a good sign is.


** All the Incidents of this article are very true and all the characters of this article are existent. It has everything to do with anyone and everyone dead or alive.

July 4, 2013