We "the citizens" and India

India is the world's largest democratic country, a country which is the birth place of people rather I should say Great people like Mahatma Gandhi, Ravindra Nath Tagore, Subhash Chandra Bose, these are just few names because the list is endless. A country which is still perceived as a place of God. I read in a book that at 'Harvard Coop' a famous book store, all the books related to India are kept under the section of Religion. People from all over the world visit India to have a look at its culture and its traditions. Festivals like Diawali and Holi amaze millions of people around the world. Thanks to Almighty God that we are born in a country like India.

I talked about democracy,where government is of the people, for the people and by the people. Who these people are? We "the citizens", I quoted citizens because its a matter of great honor that we are the citizens of a country like India. But, do we actually mean what we say, or we are still divided on the basis of caste, creed or income?

Our Government says that all people are equal and the rules and regulation for every body are same, but do we really consider all people as equal. I experienced a very strange but bitter truth about the situation which still prevails in India when I was travelling on a bus of Rajasthan Roadways. Let me do the honor to share the incident with you and then you all people decide whether I am right or wrong.

The bus seats were almost 70% occupied with all types of people that is from villages as well as so called urban areas. A person who was well dressed and was looking quiet decent from his attire was having oranges in the bus and as all other people of our country he too thought the bus as his private property, no doubt he was not wrong as we all think the same after all we all have same rights. He was having good time while eating and spitting the seeds and fibers in aisle. While he was doing that no body had any objection nor do I as I am also "the citizen" of this country. No doubt that person really enjoyed the oranges till the time another person who was from the attire looking from rural background and poor, did not lit his "Bidi" in the bus. I don't think that the second person did anything wrong after all the bus was his private property too. Now this was the time when the first person stood up and raised the voice against the action done by the second person and not only he but several others too. He showed him( the person with "Bidi") the written statement of 'no smoking' and asked him to throw away the bud outside the window.

I was sitting there and was wondering that how a person who himself was spitting in the bus can command other not to smoke in the bus.

The main reason behind that was the social differentiation that is one person who was well dressed and was looking decent was spitting in the bus was not objected but a poor person who was smoking was objected by majority.

We know that both were wrong but why only a person who was not well off was shouted at.

Do you still think that we all are same. I really felt guilty that day that I did not take any action that day and was just the spectator like others.

Can we say that we are responsible enough to care for our country? What do you think you had done if you would have been at my position? A wrong deed is wrong whether done by a gentleman or a poor and uneducated person, then why this differentiation is there?

When we "the citizens" will understand our responsibilities towards our nation?

I am still searching for the answer if you get one do let me know too.