Bio-wise and otherwise

From I-Pods to I-Day

 Probably in keeping with the growing popularity of the IT era, the Indian people have gone and lovingly recoined 'Independence' Day as I- Day.

No, I'm not kidding. I saw dozens of I-mails (Indiatimes mails) freely dotted with this word. All to celebrate 60 years of India's Independence from the British empire.

Sixty has a very significant meaning in India. Men and women consider their 60th birthday with great reverence and spiritual value.

I -Day today seemed to have the same significance. It was the day when the Prime Minister of India  announced the growth of several I-nstitutions- namely, IISc (Indian Institute of Science ), IIT (Indian Institute of Technology- Dilbert's favorite) and IIM (Indian Institute of Management).

'Twas the day for many lilting I-tunes- from the National anthem to Irrational pop. I heard my all-time favourite patriotic song 'Sara Jahan se accha' in a vibrant rendition by the music group Euphoria. (was surprised the name wasn't changed to I-phoria to suit the day).

The telly beamed out so many smiling faces- of farmers, budding musicians, actors and freedom fighters- all through the day. It was also time to see many I-competitions. I checked out the new band Yodhaka with Subhiksha, a young lady singing a patriotic song in chaste Tamil. They used a percussion instrument called Darbuka- it seemed a bit noisy but still, it was novel. Check out  an interesting rendition of Darbuka on the Youtube.

Every year, I -Day is always a very happening day in India. For sixty years we have proudly celebrated our gaining freedom from the British empire. We pay homage to Gandhiji, the grand old man who envisioned a free India. A simple yet dynamic man who spun his own cloth and lived in an ashram. As recent as this year, a new film ('Gandhi, my father') has been released with a theme based on Gandhiji. For more details, check out famous Indian actor (and director of 'Gandhi, my father') Anil Kapoor's blog.

Famed for being a powerful statement of rebellion against the use of British cloth during pre-independence days, Khadi (home-spun cotton) has now become a fashion statement in India (probably many parts of the world as well).

 Gandhiji spinning yarn using a wheel known as a Charkha

I watched the cleaners drop by early in the morning to sweep the I-ndian streets. And kids in wh-I-ite uniforms walk eagerly to their schools, to participate in all those I- Day programs. It was an exciting day, for them.

I watched at least I (read: One) movie on the famous freedom struggle with ardent zeal. I distributed sweets in the morning to show that I too cared for my country.

And so, in keeping with the spirit of I-day, here's a toast to all my fellow Indians who I-dentify themselves with their motherland.  Come, soak in the I-feeling.

Jai Hind.

NOTE:  Sun Microsystems India celebrated I-day by releasing Code for Freedom for students in India.

 

Posted at 09:25AM Aug 16, 2007 by Manju in Sun  |  Comments[0]