It's the 15th of August in India already so what else could I have possibly written on this day? Here is a set of questions and answers that ought to explain my take on patriotism, the kind that Ayn Rand aficionados seem to hate.
Q- Do I love my country?
A- Yes, sometimes so much that it hurts inside to be so proud. But love for my country is not equivalent to hate for others. Other countries have their strong points too but come on, they aren't even half as cool as us.
Q- Was the previous answer tongue-in-cheek or casual in any manner?
A- You'll have to take my word for it that it's 100% true.
Q- Do I love everything about my country?
A- No, in this case, love is not blind. There are 10 billion things I'd die to change. But I believe you've got be really really really ignorant to be unable to appreciate what India always was, is and will be!
Q- Don't you hate your country for the way it behaves sometimes?
A- No, I'd rather hate the countrymen who put my nation's beautiful name to shame.
Q- Why then do you really love your country?
A- Well, I was reading an article recently which summed up patriotism quite bluntly and correctly. When you love your family, it's not because objectively speaking it's richer, happier and more prosperous than the other families that you know of. You love it because it's your own! The same goes for my country too. I feel genuinely sorry for those who haven't ever had that unique feeling of ownership, a strong sense of having a stake-hold in their country's future. Your honour, the defence rests...
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