And here comes the Revolution, moving the wheels of change...

Saw Obama being sworn in as the 44th President of (lets face it!!) the most powerful country in the world, the United States of America.. I was hanging on to every word of his speech!! It had snippets of Ayn Rand here and there, especially the statements - 1. We have chosen hope over fear, unity of purpose over conflict and discord2. The time has come to set aside childish things and to reaffirm our enduring spirit3. All are equal, all are free, and all deserve a chance to pursue their full measure of happiness4. Greatness is never a given. It must be earned. 5. America as bigger than the sum of our individual ambitions; greater than all the differences of birth or wealth or faction. 6. The question we ask today is not whether our government is too big or too small, but whether it works - whether it helps families find jobs at a decent wage, care they can afford, a retirement that is dignified. Where the answer is yes, we intend to move forward. Where the answer is no, programs will end. 7. Those of us who manage the public's dollars will be held to account.8. The question before us whether the market is a force for good or ill. Its power to generate wealth and expand freedom is unmatched, but this crisis has reminded us that without a watchful eye, the market can spin out of control.9. A nation cannot prosper long when it favors only the prosperous. 10. Our power alone cannot protect us, nor does it entitle us to do as we please.11. We will not apologize for our way of life, nor will we waver in its defense. (I loved this one!) The son of a white mother and a black Kenyan Immigrant taking the most precious oath in presence of over 2 million citizens and millions more through television is nothing short of a phenomenon!! Ever since Clinton and Obama started their respective campaigns, I wondered.. For a land that is notorious for racism in terms of color, descent, race, gender etc, on par with the unimagineable opportunities for growth, development, success, name, fame etc; how will the common chauvinist white male react!!!! It was not surprising that one such typical sexist specimen threw his shirt at Clinton who was amidst her campaign at New Hampshire.. "Iron my shirt" is what the man and his comrade apparently yelled before being yanked away by the cops!! Nor is it unexpected that Obama became an inevitable victim of racism for his African descent and his muslim roots.. Such claims, despite being the crappiest bullshit can destroy a candidate's chancs for election.. So caught between a woman and a black, what can a typical chauvinistic, sexist, racist, white , American male choose?? My heart almost went out to those who couldn't help but be offended by the choices dished out at them.. "What cannot be cured, has to be endured" goes a popular adage.. I'm neither supporting those typical specimens' narrow outlook here nor am I opposing it, but just making observations like anyone across the globe has the right to!! And they chose Obama while Clinton gracefully accepted the role of Secretary of State and not to mention, the most powerful person on the scene, next only to Obama!! The rest, they say, is history.... Coming back to Obama's inaugural speech, he is one helluva spokesman.. His charishma and his oratory skills have that finnesse that perfectly suits the US President role.. The afore mentioned points are the ones that touched me the most.. Could not help comparing this whole scenario with our state of affairs!! If an X gets a party ticket to elections over Y, then Y will make sure to take revenge on X at the next available oppotunity.. If X wants to campaign, Y will get a whole sheet in the most read newspapers and weeklys to print truths and untruths on X's coruption and greed.. Was Y any better any day, is a question we will choose not to ask!! If X wins this election, Y will win the next and make sure X is prosecuted.. This is enough to get the general idea!! Speaking of India and USA comparison.. We are greater in population and they are greater in land availability and resources.. Like that dialogue in Swades, whenever there is this comparison and we are on the losing side, we talk of our heritage and culture and the same old irrelevant crap!! But the point is, how can we bring change?? How can we make this better?? We need to choose the right leaders. For this we need to assess the election candidates and choose the best among the lot!! For that we need to be aware of the happenings around. For that, we need to read newspapers, weeklys, follow news on current affairs on mass media etc.. To simplify, we need to be able to study the situation, assess the candidates and make our judgement for which the one and only requirement is EDUCATION!! If this happens, our current leaders will no longer remain leaders. So its best not to let people get better. Let them stay the way they are and our leaders will remain benefited!! To me, it seems like a deadlock situation.. Till people are educated, there won't be right leaders and till there are right leaders, there won't be mass literacy.. US suffers from discrimination in terms of color, race, origin, descent and gender.. We have it in terms of caste and creed!! US suffered greatly from terror attacks, so did we.. We have Pakistan as our neighbors, beat that!! I should not be generalizing but its suicidal to teach children from their school days that India and Pakistan are enemies.. Its like incubating next generation terrorists!!
So its not altogether compare the two nations.. If they can do it, so can we.. British are known for their penchant for being adamant and stubborn. The early settlers of British origin are ancestors to most of current day American citizens.. Of course its a cultural pot pourrie out there with people from across the globe, but are we different?? We talk of "Unity in Diversity".. We have several hundreds of individual mother tongues.. When it comes to religious faiths, we outdo all other countries of the world.. So if not same, are we not similar to US??
I'm not sure if I strayed or if I stuck to what I had in mind but I'm just ending it here..
If US can do it, we can as well.. Its time for a change, for a revolution..
And know what?? I think we are game for it...... :)