False hopes
The letter on the aforementioned topic by Dr. Dewan from Michigan has caught my attention. The opprobrium heaped on those patriots who criticise the government's poor performance reminds me of a line from the late Faiz Ahmed Faiz who lamented that under the brutal dictatorship in his country "Yeh rasm chal pari ke koi sar utha ke na chale" (such are the high-handed conventions in the land that one cannot walk with one's head high in dignity).
Unfortunately, we have nurtured a breed of politicians and their stooges in other sectors and some intellectuals who are too close-minded to accept criticism. Usually, any criticism directed at any aspect of our institutions or society is met with one of three responses. Firstly, we blame it on the legacy of colonialism. Secondly, we find some sinister Jewish/Hindu conspiracy to malign our good name. Thirdly, we assure ourselves that we may be bad but others are positively worse and evil. End of debate and discussion on reforms!
What a pity it is for a proud and ancient nation like ours to be held hostage to the pettiness of the mind.
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