Video Editor: Vivek Gupta, Mohd Irshad Alam
Yeh Jo India Hai Na, yahan ke kuch log lapata hain. Some people have been reported missing.
We have their names and some related details. If you have any information about them, let us know.
Vishwas has been missing. His name stands for trust. Vishwas was lost when policemen beat up those they were meant to protect. Not once, but again and again. Across India, Vishwas is now missing.
Ekta has been missing. Her name stands for unity. Ekta has been lost for some time. And it’s becoming harder to find her. Sometimes Ekta is in veil, sometimes in hijab; sometimes in jeans, sometimes in a salwar, sometimes on a scooter, glued to her phone, a Virat Kohli fan... Ekta, you could say is, every girl. Muslim or Hindu, it’s hard to tell. We can only hope that Ekta returns.
Brothers Tawfeeq and Salman are also missing. Tawfeeq stands for harmony. Salman, a name we know so well, stands for being safe and secure. Unfortunately, with Tawfeeq, or harmony, missing, it is easy to understand why Salman, or being safe, is missing too.
Vivek has been missing too. His name stands for wisdom – one who has the understanding of the good and evil. Yes, Vivek is missing. Vivek has gone missing just when we needed him most.
And Siddhant is missing. His name stands for principles. Rules by which we hope to be governed. Siddhant, or principles, now declared missing. People are randomly arrested as they protest peacefully, abused in police custody for weeks, and then freed in the absence of any charge, while MLAs and MPs openly making hate speeches roam free. It is clear that Siddhant, or principles, can simply not be found!
Interestingly, Adarsh, whose name also stands for principles, is also totally missing!
And so is Imran. His name stands for prosperity. Yes, Imran has been missing a long time. Every three months, or every quarter, India’s GDP growth rate falls further. Last heard, it was at a six-year low of 4.5%, which only tells us that the chances of finding Imran, or prosperity, is only getting tougher.
Around the same time as Imran, another person went missing. His name is Vikas. Yes, a lot of people have already reported Vikas to be missing. Lakhs of India’s unemployed, lakhs of traders, manufacturers and even salaried employees have all told us that Vikas is missing. Across India, we’ve searched and found no Vikas. In the cities, small towns, villages, factories or farms, no Vikas.
And missing is Gaurav, or pride! This is linked to the absence of Vikas, Vishwas and Siddhant. When there is no Vikas, no Vishwas, and no Siddhant, then Gaurav takes such a beating that eventually, there is no Gaurav left.
Garima, or dignity, went missing with three of her little sisters: Khushi, Raunaq and Jannat. They were last seen in August 2019 while on a holiday in Kashmir. Since then, Garima, Khushi, Raunaq and Jannat have been missing. No internet, no economic activity, all political leaders under lock and key, and ordinary Kashmiris routinely being described as traitors. It is easy to see why Garima, or dignity, Khushi and Raunaq went missing there. No wonder Jannat too is missing in Kashmir. Now there are just barbed wires where Jannat used to be.
And sad as it may sound, I must confess that Zoya, or life, is missing too. I was supposed to take care or her. We were all supposed to watch over her. Zoya is fragile, she needs nurturing. Zoya is there only if we are.
If we are all in. If we look away, if we pull apart, if we stop caring, then Yeh Jo India Hai Na, it too, could go missing!
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