This Is What We Wish In 2018, But Will It Happen?

By Shevlin Sebastian

In 2018, if any natural disaster takes place we would like the Kerala state government to get the number of victims correctly so that no family misses out on the compensation.

We want that when we say our name, people should not categorise us as Hindu, Muslim, Christian, Jain, or whatever, and put us into the mental boxes of accommodation or discrimination. Instead, can we rise above caste and creed and look at each other as fellow Indians?

We want that when a woman complains of misogyny, we don’t want hundreds of bricks thrown online at her.

We want doctors to regain their focus on healing people instead of having a mercenary attitude all the time.

We want those who spew hatred against people of other communities, to realise that despite the differences in upbringing, education, religious beliefs and thought processes, the same red blood flows in their veins as it does in the ‘other’.

We want drivers – of cars, buses, auto-rickshaws and two-wheelers – to understand that when they blow their horns non-stop it gets on the nerves of others, especially the elderly.

We want that if a boy student puts his arm around a girl classmate it should not result in condemnation and expulsion. We want a relaxation of the rules. Too many decades of sexual repression has led to an alarming rise in child sex abuse cases and perversions.

We want the culture of black money and illegal transactions to be ended, so that honest entrepreneurs can also thrive.

We want the young to realise that drug-taking and excess alcohol ruins their brains and bodies and damages their future.

We want women to be treated with dignity and respect at their work places, on the streets, in malls and market-places, at their homes and while travelling on a public transport.

We want a visit to a police station to be not one of intimidation and harassment but of co-operation and friendliness.

So, can we, as fellow Indians, fulfill these wants and make the world a better place?

(The New Indian Express, Kerala editions)