A New Beginning

Today, on 30th January, 2012 I start my blog; Its a special day because today I start a new chapter of my life. I have formally joined the Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP), in a quiet ceremony.It was a ceremony, allright, as after signing the membership papers, I was served Tea with Khurma, which for the uninitiated is a sweetmeat made of flour, deep fried in oil and sprinkled with sugar powder.
Now the big question. Why did I join the BJP? I do have a little experience in politics, albeit college level. It would, therefore, be wrong to say that I am a novice in this field. I have campaigned before, requested for votes; even danced and sung (demands of college election). I have lost and I have also won; So I know the feeling of waking up the day after losing elections, the heaviness of the heart and consoling smiles and pats of the well wishers; I also know how it feels to do the victory lap, being feted as a winner and acknowledging the congratulatory messages.
Joining BJP, or mainstream politics was not a choice I had to make. It was a matter of time, I guess for me; a sort of natural progression, given my nature. I have read many a times a line which I would like to quote at this juncture- be the change you want to see. I believe that this basically sums up my reasons for joining the BJP. I know I could have continued to vent my ire and frustration at all the wrong that has been happening around me through my facebook status updates; But I guess that's just not me. I have never known to follow; be a passive bystander. My natural instinct is to lead. I want to voice my opinion,I want to see a change, and I want to make it happen.
An interesting question, posed to me by a senior leader of the party-Did you join the BJP because you think it is a Hindu party? My answer was an emphatic NO. I am a Hindu, by religion; But that thought was farthest from my mind when I decided to join the party. I joined the BJP because I believe in its ideology;I belive in its core principles. BJP, as a party, is not perfect. There are issues that need to be addressed, there are loopholes that need to be plugged; But then no political party is perfect, or for that matter, no individual is perfect. We all have our weaknesses; but the important thing is the intent and the purity of thought. If the intent is honest, if the effort is sincere than I guess every weakness is surmountable.
A lot of my friends, ask me whether I really think I can do something. For all they care, the System is beyond repair and we are destined to live with all the mess around us. Ofcourse, discussing it around winter bonfires, with a few glasses of whisky down, is the cool thing to do. Well, I beg to differ. I believe that there is a time in your life when you have to choose between the right thing to do and the easy thing to do. It is easy for me to criticise the minister when a new scam surfaces, it is easy for me to talk about illegal immigrants eating into our resources, it is easy for me to stay at home and watch television because it is a bandh; But it is difficult to get a permission in a government office without greasing a few palms, it is difficult not to hire a Banladeshi labour instead of an indigenous one because he comes cheap,it is difficult to get out and say enough is enough. Well, I have had enough.
India is a young republic, 64 years old to be precise. It is still coming to terms with the realities of nation building and considering the odds, She has done well to achieve what She has, since Independence. But there is a lot which could have been done and which was not possible because of a small percentage of unscruplous leaders and citizens alike. The vast majority of India, however, is still pure. It is our duty as responsible citizens to connect with this India, and help them achive their true potential; it is our duty to bring down the ridiculous economic disparity that is growing by the day, it is our duty to say no to corruption and work for the progress and development of our country, it is our duty to make all citizens feel inclusive in this pluralistic society of ours. Only when we unite, walk together with a common noble intent that we can survive and flourish as a Nation. It is easy to destroy, hard to build. We have no right to fritter away the sacrifice and lives of lakhs of Indians who sacrificed their lives to make this entity called India a reality.
So I am here to fulfil my duty and responsibility; I am here to make peace with myself. It is with this thought, that I begin my journey with BJP, a party coincidentally as old as me.