Serious Issue Sunday #5 - Happy Independence Day

15th August, almost here yet again,
Why has this date gained such respect and fame?
Another year, to celebrate what, exactly?
The fact that sisters can't be protected, in spite of the so called rakhi?
To celebrate murders, or deaths, or maybe the rapes?
To celebrate a society where no unbiased ideas can ever take shape?

In the time that it will take us, to sing the national anthem,
In our country, the following will probably happen -

A mother will be neglected, hit and abused,
Hands, not words, will be used.
The poor will yet again be treated like filth and scum,
Funds will go not into education, but bottles of rum.
The illiterate will continue to thrive,
The billionaires' children will drink and drive.
A Mid Day Meal will be opened, and it will probably be rotten,
The 'of the people, by the people, for the people' system will still lay forgotten.
Equal Rights for all will still be more or less a joke,
When was the last time a person in India freely spoke?
Shootouts will happen, justice won't be served,
Families will not  get the compensation they deserve.
Shah Rukh Khan will sign yet another contract,
Sachin will make history once again with his cricket bat.
Crores and Lakhs will fit into their bank account, maybe more,
While another farmer will hurl himself into the sea shore.
Students will hang themselves, succumbed to the pressure of boards,
Accidents will happen and thousands will die - due to such well built roads.
Somewhere, a little girl will be molested,
By her alcoholic husband, a wife's patience will be tested.
A student will be slapped, for forming an answer in words his own,
For innovative students are not needed, only textbook-learning clones.
A father will hang himself, for he can't get his daughter wed,
While a fifteen year old will be married off, with her dreams and aspirations dead.
A boy will turn into a brute, and pick up a knife,
For he was misunderstood by society all his life.
A girl's clothes will be torn, and she will shout out for help,
But the country will turn a deaf ear to her pleas and yelps.
A baby girl will be drowned, without any hesitation,
And then a boy will be born - God's finest creation.
People will keep on reproducing, having children maybe seven or maybe eight,
For population control isn't a priority, it can surely wait!
A 97% scholar, will be failed in his final exam,
For the seats will have been filled, courtesy of some bribes beforehand.
Somebody will write a poem or an article about the country's shortcomings,
And then forget all about it, come the next morning.

Such is our country, full of partiality, violence, and greed,
Mera Bharat Mahan indeed.