amit bhatt

The little girl was wandering on her own , too cautiously at first, but when she became sure that she wasn't being followed , she gradually became more and more relaxed. It was raining hard , and she was out on her own, a luxury, not afforded to her easily. But she had to meet her friend. She would be waiting, she knew, like she always was. Sometimes the girl wondered what she can do to achieve that kind of freedom.  Her friends at kindergarten told her that she’d have to be a grown up to do that. She was quiet looking forward to it. Well , what did she know. She also realized that she was late, but she couldn't help it. On the way there were these tiny little plants . Her teacher had told her that they were called “touch me not”. Despite the warning embedded in the name and countless warnings from her mom, she always felt inclined to touch them. They closed when she touched them. She got a flashback of how she screamed when the first time it happened. But soon she realiz...

Yes, the date is upon us again. It is that time of the year again, when we all fell patriotic, this time even more as it came on a Monday. There will be loud speakers, there will be parades and in general all acts of patriotism will be on display, and the day will pass. Is this the only way (and time) that we show patriotism, though a lot of people will say yes, I clearly have reasons to believe otherwise? I’ll start with a basic question, are we more patriotic than we were let’s say 5 years ago. I think so and it’s not just based on my gut feeling. No matter if you agree with the mandate or not, you do realize that the mere act of participation (even in areas like J & K) is a symbol that a country is rapidly waking up from its slumber. Of course we still want a good job as a priority and country comes only after that, still fortunately it’s not far behind. There is a collective inspiration to do something for your motherland, and that’s a positive sign for each and every o...