jingo lingo

I got a very inspiring mail some weeks ago. I don't quite remember who sent it to me though. It was a forward and to someone who does not harbour patriotism, it sure did stir patriotic feelings in me on the first quick read. It then slipped my mind from the region of absolute importance to a region which stores trivia (pssstt.. there is very little stored in there!!).
When I met my hubby for lunch today, he mentioned receiving the same forward. He also said that he strongly sensed a jingoist's wave when he read it.
It is signed by an IIT M dean.. yes i meant 'an' .. well I'll let you read the mail and the give you some more thoughts to chew on and a link to corroborate facts.

Dear Friends,

Here is a personal experience, as well as a moment of national
pride, which I want to share with ou. Hope you find it worth the
time you put in reading it :

"In the middle of 1965 India-Pakistan war, US govt - then a close.
friend of Pakistan - threatened India with stopping food-aid
(remember "PL-480"?). For a food deficient India this threat was
serious and humiliating. So much so that in the middle of war,
Prime Minister (Late) Lal Bahadur Shastri went to Ram Leela Grounds
in Delhi and appealed to each Indian to observe one-meal-fast every
week to answer the American threat. As a schoolboy, I joined those
millions who responded to Shastri ji's call. I continued the fast
even when the war was over and India became self sufficient in
food. Hurt deep by the national humiliation suffered at the hands
of the US govt, I had vowed
to stop my weekly fast only when India starts giving aid to USA.

It took just 40 years. Last week THE day arrived. When Indian
ambassador in Washington DC handed over a cheque of US$ 50 million
to the US govt, two plane loads of food, medical aid and other
relief materials were waiting to fly to the USA. Time to break the
fast? With no bad feeling about the USA, and good wishes for the
Katrina victims, this humble Indian feels proud of the distance
India has covered in 40 years. Let's celebrate a New India!"

- Vijay Kranti.
Dean - IIT Madras


After reading this mail my hubby wrote to some of us. This is what he said...

"There is no dean called "Vijay Kranti" at IITM (check
http://www.iitm.ac.in/telephone.htm).
If he retired as a dean, he wouldn't sign as the dean, given
the kind of integrity he is supposed to possess. Also the
name "Vijay Kranti" seems sooooooooo suspicious -
doesn't it mean "victory to the revolution" or
"victorious revolution" or something?

heh heh! .. . but its clever jingoism at least ;)"

He also suggested that it would be blog material. Hence here it is.


Your comments please...