We the cheap lives.

The huge media frenzy generated for YSR shook the entire nation. Everybody knows YSR overnight, inlcuding the so ignorant me! But, I was wondering why such a big hungama was generated. There have been several chopper crashes in the past and so may pilots have lost their lives....so what was new?

Stupid stupid me, of course I should know he was a politician and that makes him a mini god in this country and you and me are second rate citizens in our own country. So, in the last 3 days all we heard and saw on each and every channel and newspaper was just about YSR getting lost, YSR search operation, YSR's death, YSR's family, wife, power hungry son, and the succession struggle. Did you even hear about the other 4 brave people on board who also went down with YSR? Were their lives not as important and worthy enough? Do those 4 people have no families? Have they not done anything worth remembering in their personal and professional lives? Do we even know their names? Just because they were ordinary citizens like you and me, so their life or death doesnt deserve any airspace?

Sonia ji calls up and visits YSR's family, declares 7 day mourning, gives a state funeral. All the journos are counting the good deeds of YSR and making a bigger than life hero out of him and nobody even dedicating 2 kind words for those other 4 people. (On another note, the hero image of YSR sounds very strange considering the warlord backgrouod he and his dad enjoyed. Read this old TOI article (http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/782107.cms).

No doubt, we lost a life, but we didnt loose 1 life, we lost 5 human lives and we need to get to the root of what happended and why? I dont care for a politician loosing his life. I care that 5 humans lost their lives in very sad and terrible way! It hurts to see why 1 person is glorified and the other 4 lives are not even talked or acknowledged by the media. Shame on the media!

The government defends itself and says that the chopper had technical flaws earlier and thats why it was always used to trains pilots. Excuse me!!! does that mean that pilots lives are cheap and their lives could be played around with? If it would have crashed with trainee pilots, it would have been dismissed as just another petty case like the scores that have happened before! My sympathies lie with the pilots who were forced to fly to their deaths. Can you ever imagine ISRO, sukois, US satellites searching for a chopper with some XYZ trainee pilot in it?

Where are we as a nation heading? It is pathetic the way lives are treated in this country (unless its a politican's life). How can we differentiate among people's death? After all death is death..its the same for you and me or some YSR! How can we glorfy the lives and death of certain people and ignore the rest. Everybody has a life and a family and they mean the world to them. But, class, status, and how famous you are dictate the kind of respect you earn not only in your lifetime, but also when you die.

Sadly, yours, mine, and the scores of pilots who have died training in those technically faulty choppers lives come cheap. Yes, we are India, we are the cheap cheap lives and people of this country.
RIP all the 5 people who lost their lives serving the nation.

Only, what I am not is an Indian

I was born in India, grew up here, stayed all my life here, but who am I?

I keep quiet when I see crime against women and children.
I keep quiet when I see rampant corruption and politicians manipulating the system.
I still look for quotas or some reservation to take me forward in life.
I give away my hard earned money to a certain behenji to erect her statues all over the country.
I hate the system, but do not vote, coz it is too hot to stand in the queue outside the polling booth.
I love to criticise the government machinery, but never want to become a part of it.
I stay indoors when there is a natural disaster and people need a helping hand.
I pay bribes to the traffic cop to let me go when I jump a light.
I hate standing in lines at the passport and RTO offices, so catch hold of agents and grease all the palms in the food chain.
I keep quiet when hindus kill muslims and muslims kill hindus.
I keep quiet when churches are burnt and mosques pulled down.
I get scared of fanatic groups on Valentines Day and stay away.
I keep quiet when I see the 16 year old maid's daughter being married off.
I do not want to rent out my house to people belonging to certain religious groups.
I make a face at the mannerisms, culture, food of people from the other parts of the country.
I have nicknames for people coming from other regions and I harden the regional lines.
I buy international brand products more than i buy a tata or a bajaj.
I quietly see our education system being played with by politicians who are far away from the pulse of the people.
I can but don't opt for programmes like each one teach one that can benefit the society, coz my weekends are for the mall, clubs, parties, movies.
I keep quiet when I see environemt being raped in the name of development.

62 years of independence and still grappling with basic questions...

I am everything Hindu, Muslim, Christian, SC, ST, OBC, tribal, north indian, south indian, maharastrian... Only what I am not is an Indian. Are you any different?