No "REPUBLIC DAY" PARADE "LIVE"

(Well Well Well!! its 12 @ midnight...its 15th AUG 2006...another indispencible day marking our Freedom Struggle...so here is my first hand unfortunate experience on our Republic Day...26th Jan of this current year...a day as important as this)

Republic Day Parade LIVE

NO! NO! NO! Please don’t go by the title. The title of this article ‘Republic Day Parade LIVE’ looks like the heading of an essay (which used to come in our primary classes and also used to carry quite a considerable marks-weight-age); however the sentiments attached to it are much more important.

Wednesday 25th Jan 2006, as I reached my home, I got some really shocky stuff lying on my bed. That shocky stuff was nothing but the so called INVITATIONS from Ministry of Defense to see the parade. On opening the invitation, it read (in italic English111VivaceBT fonts):-

SEE THE PHOTOGRAPH ABOVE

Bottommost there was an inclusion in brackets which read in the same fonts but smaller size, that: - Please be seated by 9.30 a.m. In addition to this invitation, was a VIP parking pass, a non-understandable map of the uncountable parking lots ( see the photograph above adacent to our 'TRICOLOUR') and some more papers…all sufficient to get you that feeling of being a VIP Indian. So! Why was this shocky? Easy guess - because I don’t know anybody in my whole parivar who could have arranged these VIP passes. Seeing that VIP pass started the process of un-practical dreaming within my head (I started dreaming that I would be sitting next to VVIPs getting a clear view of the whole parade especially the various manoeuvres of our advanced Sukohi MKI 30s …which thanks to Doordarshan, we common Indians can’t see most of the time).

Next day, 26th Jan 2006 morning, when most of my friends were residing in their dreams, I was on my feet early morning. Accompanying me to the parade, were my younger brother and my cousin (both of them didn’t want to go but somehow got convinced …thanks to my lecture titled Once-In-A-Lifetime-Opportunity which I delivered to them…though my sincere apologies to them now).

Our pilgrimage to Rajpath from Safdarjung Madarssa on foot was actually quite unique. How often do you find yourself with a VIP pass (your feet on road and not in a deluxe car…which would be a more appropriate option) among a crowd, 90% of them carrying a ticket of denomination not exceeding Rs. 50.0? While going towards our destination we encountered quite a lot of people asking us for extra passes…first symptom of being a VIP. All the way we kept asking the policewallas bout the VIP stall; the only answer we received: aage chalo aage...

That’s the end of the good part of the story (if at all it was good!). Our smooth walk (the process of walking was executing at a speed of 3 km/hr) was stalled near UPSC (Union Public Service Commission). The scene totally changed here. My misconception about the number of people who witness the Parade changed; yes, today also guys came to see Parade in uncountable numbers. The disappointment slowly started appearing as the stall near UPSE had suddenly invented a problem (as told to us by policewallas)…how can a stall develop a problem hours before the commencement of Parade? God knows why they do rehearsals? Then we were asked to move to our new destination located near Vigyan Sadan.

This was the moment! The moment of disappointment! every dream of seeing The Parade soiled amidst a sea of common Humans (& not just Indians). Entry to all the stalls was stopped at sharp 9:19:35 IST…reason given: stalls were full…how could anybody sit on somebody else’s seat on The Republic Day’s dawn? Multiple barricades welcomed all the visitors, who were either V.I.P. pass holders or legal ticket holders. But a unique thing which you don’t often see in India - equal behavior with an Indian and a hot phirang. Yes! At least something to say …after all; it was our Republic Day.

About the impression on phirangies – well; there was a group of hot phirang girls (carrying a bisleri bottle and their 500 Rs. tickets) in front of us shouting ‘BULLSHIT RASCALS’ (referring to policemen). To control the public, a loudspeaker was introduced which kept shouting “move towards the India Gate stand”. How many of you know that nowdays loudspeakers also have ringtones embedded in them? By the way the default tone in this loudspeaker was “aage chaalo aage…” (sung by an unknown policeman).

This was enough for my cousin and my younger brother, but I forced them to move towards the India Gate stall (thanks to my affection towards IAF fighter jets). On reaching our new destination…again the same…& THIS TIME I delivered those two words “BULLSHIT RASCALS” (to the organizers).

THIS WAS IT! with no means of road transport available, we again had to take help from our respective two legs. This time the journey was from India Gate à Dilli Haat bus stand. While going back, actually three souls were walking – Sardar Patel (embedded in me), Gandhi (in my cousin) and Shaheed Bhagat Singh (in my 15 yr old brother). For the first time in my life I thought mouth is a more sensible organ than our limbs…I concluded this after seeing (sorry! It should be hearing) the bashing of policemen, politicians and bureaucrats and many more… done by my brother …with the help of words…thankfully.

While going back we saw young lads on their Hero cycles, who also wished us Happy Republic Day (this line is written JUST to console our true patriots).

Well! You always have to pay for your sins. As compensation to my two companions, I had to pay out their tickets for the movie Rang De Basanti; another inspirational movie which will come and go.

HOPE U R NJOYING UR FREEDOM!!