Pakistan’s Favorite Indians
I still wish India success but now without much hope.
The point of the story is different from what the sentence seems to convey; and thereby hangs a tale. Let me explain.
When I was young I desperately wanted India to succeed. Looking at Pakistan, I could see it was a basket case, the quality of its leadership decaying at such a dizzying pace that the prospects of internally driven progress were non-existent. The only hope was in a miracle or in a dramatic breakthrough in India. The latter development would make Pakistan’s citizens see the light and make them demand change from its leaders who kept feeding the myth that Pakistan was doing better than India. Or so I thought, and so I prayed for India’s success.
Note:
The South Asian Idea, from where I have linked the above post, advertises itself as a learning resource for college students in South Asia, has many interesting articles and is useful as a source of ideas, debate and discussion not just for college students, but for others as well. Do add it to your blogroll and send more traffic its way. It is run by someone who is a committed educationist, thinker and peace activist.
Without much Hope ? Wonder Why .Sarcasm or not , the fears are misplaced.India is doing quite well , inspite of the odds.Let us remember we are not a very Old Country .
As Chesterton said
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IT is currently said that hope goes with youth and lends to youth its wings of a butterfly; but I fancy that hope is the last gift given to man, and the only gift not given to youth. Youth is pre-eminently the period in which a man can be lyric, fanatical, poetic; but youth is the period in which a man can be hopeless. The end of every episode is the end of the world. But the power of hoping through everything, the knowledge that the soul survives its adventures, that great inspiration comes to the middle-aged. God has kept that good wine until now.
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The sarcasm was directed towards both countries, far more so towards Pakistan in fact.
Hope, yes there is hope for India too. But I guess I have developed a bit of an “outsider’s” perspective and despair sometimes over some things. I wrote a bit about it some time ago (not online here yet). About an educationist who I know, building much needed schools and colleges and getting asked for bribes at every turn from every political party, and some other things. India has the ability to uplift you and to grind you down like no other place on earth.
I linked this here because South Asian Idea carries a range of different ideas from different authors and to send people to the discussion(s) there. Do leave your comment there as well if you could.
Kulkarni, There was no sarcasm (or fear) there, only resignation. The hope was that India’s success might spur Pakistan to put its house in order. But the hope was belied. Therefore: “I still wish India success but now without much hope…” The unspoken words were ‘for Pakistan.’ That was the tale that was supposed to hang on that deliberately ambiguous first sentence.
Uttara: Many thanks for linking to The South Asian Idea and for putting in a good word for it.