Radical Egypt!

As Indians, we have much to thank Egypt for. A small mundane example is Misri, crystalized sugar which we use for offering to our Gods. And for Sindhis, Misri is also the name for the engagement ceremony. Into a well decorated pot, 7 kgs of rock Misri is filled and handed over to the groom's mother. The sweet Misri signifies an abundant amount of sweetness which family and friends pray will roll over into the couples marriage. But this is all off topic.

Over the last two weeks, Egytians have set precedence for the Arab world. They have defined the real meaning of fighting for a government that just doesn't work. With the use of Social Media, the youth of the country took to the streets and protested. They simply were not going to deal with the atrocities that they had dealt with with 30 years of Mubarak reign. And while by now you know that I'm an NOT a Barkha Dutt fan but the lady put it all in perspective. "At one point in Cairo we feared that Tahrir could become Tiananmen square. Instead it gave birth to a modern day Salt March.." With Gandhi as her muse, the journalist compared the revolution of Egypt to the independence struggle of India. Perhaps, the Egyptians really understood Gandhi-giri better than we did and ever will. In complete unison, they set out to change the face of the Arab world. Albeit violence, they managed to overthrow a regime that wasn't making the cut. And all this, conducted by the youth of the country. Egypt will never be the same again. This isn't to say the journey is over for them. That is hardly the case. In fact, they have a rather steep hill to climb from here on. We've seen the military come in only to get too comfortable vis-a-vis Pakistan. And now, with no clear leader, the amount of corruption is bound to hit an all time high. A scary fact is the sheer fact that the opposition leader happens to be an Islamist. For Egyptians, that should raise warning signs. So yes, red flags are around but doesn't mean they haven't accomplished anything; their determination and courage deserves a global standing ovation. The question that hit me almost immediately was simple: why couldn't the youth of India do the same?

Look, we are hardly in need of a revolution. India in itself is a revolutionary country that has faught long and hard. In turn, this has made the country practically immune to any external and internal strife that it have have to face. However, there are major issues in the country that need resolving. The youth are the only ones who can take to the streets in matter of leadership, corruption and other important issues that have been put on the back burner. But they won't. And the answer is simple: the Indian youth is lazy, indifferent and more than anything scared of voicing themselves only because they have been ignored far too many times in the past. I personally believe that the youth is far too self involved to care about the country, far too comfortable with their indifference. I've repeatedly heard of youth leaders who have gone on to state that they are just too tired with being told by the government that they are "too young" to understand. And so, the best attitude is to shrug. But can you imagine if the youth of Egypt would have done the same? They wouldn't have accomplished what they have today, February 11th, 2011. 


It doesn't involve violence but mere determination and a fearless attitude (Dabangg anyone?). The youth of India are not incapable. Now if only they would take some inspiration from the Egyptians and get on with it. Until then complete power to Egyptians. May your revolution take you from strength to strength. Today you have proved that the Arab world is changing and you have made that change. Forget "Yes, We Can"; Yes, You Did!