|| Love For Country ||

I read somewhere that, as an individual, when you act responsibly and function as an active citizen of your own country, it truly reflects your love for your homeland. On the 19th of November, the World Cup final match was one such real event that I personally witnessed at Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. First of all, it was a Sunday, and our country, India, was in the final, with the World Cup taking place in our own nation. Consequently, lakhs of people were excited to be part of it, either by being there in person or by gathering in groups to watch at a friend's house, a restaurant, or other planned events. I heard that even at weddings, ceremonies were taking place on one side, while on the other side, people were engrossed in watching the match. More than one lakh people were present at the stadium, representing different parts of India. Additionally, many Indians who reside abroad had come back to India to witness the match where their own heroes were playing. These are individuals who work abroad to earn money, but their hearts still beat for their home country.

More than one lakh people coming together at one place to watch the match and support their country on the world stage – what an amazing experience! There was a game being played, but witnessing the unity of people was extraordinary. There were no barriers of religion, no differences in community, and no caste or creed; the sole focus was on our own country. The sight of one lakh people singing and paying tribute to our national anthem is a memory I will cherish. Every individual present there was either wearing a T-shirt representing their country, holding the national flag, or displaying any possible item symbolizing their patriotism. It was an amazing scene. Amidst playing Bollywood music, dancing to those tunes, and cheering for all the Indian players, the atmosphere was electric. The stadium was a sea of blue, with only a few representations in yellow from the Australian team, and very few people cheering for them.

 

 

What I observed is how the love for one's own country needs to be learned from the team members of the Australian team. More than one lakh people were supporting the Indian cricket team. Every Indian was cheering for their team members, screaming, shouting, and encouraging the team. Many times they were booing, but they were playing with a clear mindset. The Australian team was totally focused on how they could play their best and not get distracted by the Indians. Their focus was to win the World Cup title for their own country. Sometimes, to win, you just need pure dedication, especially when it's for your country, which I learned from them. How was the pitch? How was the game? How much sincerity was there in the individual members of both teams? You can't judge, but team efforts were visible. Those efforts are what make you win for your own country. To love your country and make it shine at the international level clearly requires the best team efforts from all the members.

This is just about cricket. What about every profession? Yes, we all need to put forth our best team efforts if we want to shine at the international platform. One cannot achieve individually, just like cricket cannot be played by an individual; it needs team efforts. Similarly, shining internationally in any profession requires team efforts. Take, for example, a person participating in the Olympics as an athlete. That person needs to make sincere efforts, be trained by a coach, have a place to practice, and be monitored by a team or organization supporting their growth. In the government sector, representing the country requires paperwork, approval, sponsorship, and team or family support to go through the entire process. Although winning any international title can be achieved by an individual, it involves a lot of team efforts to navigate the process.

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There is a revolution in the scientific world, and numerous facilities are available. However, what we, as Indians, miss is our team efforts and the system of work at every level to achieve tasks. What developed countries achieve in just a few months, we achieve in one year, and the system is very much in place there. The efforts of every Indian at the stadium to cheer for all team members are commendable, but that alone will not be sufficient. We need to implement teamwork in our day-to-day lives at every step, whether at the individual, community, or country level, to shine in every profession globally. We need team efforts every day to help each other grow. However, in this selfie-centric world, we are losing hope in life.

Lord Krishna, upon seeing people in difficulty during a flood caused by Lord Indra's anger, gathered everyone together. With the contribution of every individual in the village, they achieved success in saving everyone. The gods, goddesses, kings, and freedom fighters of our country, along with our ancestors, have taught us that working in team efforts yields the best results. Unfortunately, in the rat race of life, we seem to have forgotten this lesson. Although everyone faces struggles in life, understanding that kindness means helping each other and recognizing that every person goes through their own struggles can make the tasks of each one of us easier. Someone recently told me that what I witnessed at the stadium during the match is just a game, where winning and losing are part of it. However, I felt that watching the match made me understand so beautifully how one can love their own country.

It is challenging for an individual to become like Tata, Ambani, Adani, politicians, leaders, Bollywood or sports celebrities in a short duration or even in a lifetime. However, we have forgotten that their success is the result of the collective efforts of many people. Life is a vicious cycle, and the contribution of numerous individuals shapes our lives. Together, we possess great power, provided we utilize that power for good intentions, the right path, and with love, compassion, and dedication for our country. In this way, no one can defeat us. A profound understanding of love for our country can be learned from our soldiers, who exemplify unity. In reality, while we stand together with one lakh people for a match at the stadium, we may not always be there to stand together for our soldiers who fight to protect and save us.

We, as Indians, have increasingly turned to social media, where only influential people are appreciated. It remains uncertain when we will realize the need to appreciate real heroes. Love for our country comes from within, and we all must make sincere efforts to promote growth in areas such as cleanliness, pollution reduction, making our environment safer, reducing noise, appreciating genuine individuals, acting with kindness, ensuring good and efficient education, being realistic with our employees, and helping them, among many other small things. I love my country, and I feel proud to be an Indian. Every day, I contribute a bit to make my country shine at the global level. What about all of you?