Hope you’re fine. Or hope you are able to survive. I have been hearing countless stories of lynching and rapes. And I shudder to think what you have been going through. In the day and age that I was born in your land, everything was so serene. Okay, this isn’t about how I feel. I wanted you to know there are thousands who are still with you. I know this isn’t what you wanted your future to look like – an 80-year-old man being beaten up, a so-called lower caste man being lynched, an 8-year-old girl being raped and murdered. After every gruesome incident, hashtags emerge. And then, everything fades off. You must be wondering how many of us still remember the Kathua rape victim.

When you were freed from bondage 71 years ago, you wanted violence to end. Now, it is rearing its ugly head again. It seems it never wants to go back to its bottomless pit. I have heard patriotism is by choice. One shouldn’t love their country, just by being born in it. I fell in love with you when I saw how different you were. Songs like ‘Mile Sur Mera Tumhaara’ gave me goosebumps. It still does! You have loved your people, no matter how much they betrayed you. And I sincerely hope your love and sacrifice yield you true results. Even as politicians fight and tear each other’s heads off, let me tell you one thing. There are many of us who want you to prosper. We are worried now! But we hope for the future that you dreamt of. Even as you are traumatised by the turn of events, please be assured of a better tomorrow. I know it’s too much optimism. But it’s worth hoping for.

Yours sincerely,

A Patriotic Indian

By Sarah Jacob