Cry, my beloved mother!

Bomb blasts on the bank of my “Old Man River”! Life has no value. It used to be the most peaceful place on earth I knew as a child. Most of us had very little, but there was abundance of natural beauty, love, compassion, care, and honesty. Things have changed. Now it is filled with wealth along with disparity, hatred, violence, corruption, selfishness, and shameless politics. The natives are losing out, getting frustrated, and fighting with their own brothers while outsiders are pushing them out of their own homes. Politicians and “public servants” are willing to sell their mother to stay in power and to enjoy the luxuries of life. The banks of my “Old Man River” are becoming stranger by the day.

Every action has an equal and opposite reaction. These are not aberrations. These are the outcome of prior actions, howsoever heinous the reactions may be. Why do people kill people, why are the indigenous people getting frustrated, why is there obscene wealth or poverty, why are people becoming more corrupt in the last few decades, how did hatred substitute love – these are questions needing answers. Only after root cause analysis, only after proper diagnosis, one can apply the right medication. Band-aid does not work for a chronic illness. We head for the moon, but cannot take care of our people on earth. India - where 70% still toil for basics while Bollywood, Cricket, and “Brown Sahibs” rule – I no longer understand.