We the People: ‘Dream chasers in India are often pushed to limit of quitting… but we still do the job’

The Sunday Express reaches out to men and women across the Republic, from the uneasy calm of the Valley to the angry disquiet of a campus, the desolation of Bastar to the solitude of a rape victim, and the hope for a job next to Millennium City Gurgaon to the longing for a temple in Ayodhya — to find out, in their own words and their own photographs or sketches, what they talk about when they talk about ‘being India’ and ‘being Indian’.

Rights That Matter Most: ‘Right to Education unchallenged… All others face challenges’

“I also appreciate Indians for their empathy. Indian parents live for their children,” says Bastin.

A native of Alappuzha in Kerala and the elder of two siblings, Job is in the third year of his course at the Indian Institute of Space Science and Technology, Asia’s first space university. This year, India’s Chandrayaan 2 mission missed making a soft landing on the moon by a whisker.

What does India mean to you?

A country where people achieve great heights despite lack of resources… India is the only country to put a machine in Mars orbit in the first attempt, and on the lowest budget. Similar achievements can be seen in other spheres. ‘Dream chasers’ in India are often pushed to limit of quitting and may not even get to enjoy the fruits of their efforts, but we still do the job. I also appreciate Indians for their empathy. Indian parents live for their children. This is in contrast to most communities worldwide. We are all brought up to think a little about others….

Have you ever been to Delhi?

No. My only knowledge of Delhi is through the media and my friends who live there. ‘Pollution’ is the first thing that comes to my mind when I hear of Delhi.

Which is the farthest place you have travelled to from your hometown?

I have not had chance to travel. Chennai (730 km from Alappuzha) is the farthest place I have been to, that too on a school trip.

Do you have a friend from another part of the country?

Being a student of a national institute, I have a lot of friends from almost all communities across the country. My roommate is a Rajasthani.

What are the three important rights you enjoy as a citizen of this country?

In my view, Right to Education is the only right that is not yet challenged. All others up to an extent, have been challenged either by the government or society.

For you, the government is…

One that keeps in mind that laws are fundamentally based on basic human ethics.

For you, a good citizen is…

One who acknowledges differences of opinion, perspectives. So we have a population immune to political manipulation.

For you, the most important historical event has been…

The Jallianwala Bagh massacre. It is a true reminder of the line between human and animal. Too much localised power and submissive attitude of masses can turn out to be catastrophic. This historical event shows how not to rule, as well as how not to be ruled.

In the New Year, what is the one change you want in the country?

Students should be taught life-lessons like handling rejection and depression, and self-respect, and given sex education. Today, our education creates a lot of self-pitying, under-achieving, sexually frustrated individuals.

On the protests against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act…

Protests in Assam were over fear of demographic imbalance from granting citizenship to immigrants. In other parts, exclusion of Muslim immigrants is the cause of the protests. Yes, the fear is justified because the NRC is unnecessary in states other than Assam… Apart from normal documents like birth certificate, Aadhaar, driving licence, school certificates, which I keep in a file at home, I don’t have any documents of my ancestors which might be required for the NRC.