What about having a 'Forgiveness Day'?

What's that, you ask, what d'you mean by such? Well, since this government seems to be blessing us with days to remember atrocities and injuries, what about a day to forgive and forget each other for the same? Not just you and me, but religious communities and nations forgiving each other for previous fights, wars and acts of bloodshed.

Think it's impossible? Just look at our politicians—how quickly they forget past hurts and join ranks for the sake of power! You have a political leader dragged to jail, maybe spending time inside, and in the next elections, he's joined forces with his jailor, sharing the same platform!

If politicians can forgive so fast, why can't they implement this on a national level?

And yes, for the same reason: Power!

Imagine how powerful we would be if we could forgive each other for previous communal transgressions? Imagine how powerful we would be if we could forgive our neighbouring countries for past wars, beginning with stopping the stomping and staring tamasha that happens every day at the Amritsar border, and instead a shaking of hands or simple namaste?

Europe had a thousand years and more of war. Do read about it, when each little country fought against each other, and millions died, and in case you haven't got a history book, ask your grandparents about World War II!

Germany conquered more than twenty countries! Millions died, and millions more came home maimed, mutilated and scarred for life. But what did they do with their scars? They healed their wounds by coming together in fifty years and forming the mighty and formidable European Union!

That Union bears testimony to the logical act of forgetting and forgiving. Their economies have risen, their military might have become a force to reckon with, and their human rights thinking has moved from revenge to humanitarianism and compassion.

Here, in our country, we allow wily politicians to rub salt on our partition wounds, scrape off bandages and make gaping, bloodied craters out of injuries that should have healed by now.

Are we fools not to see what is being done to us?

Only a coming together can bring more power for us. Yes, a coming together of religious communities in India, and a coming together of nations around us. We can keep fooling ourselves with false statistics of economic growth, but poverty is rampant and the last elections have shown that the poor are voicing their dissent.

Let us put an end to this stoking of 'remembrance' fires and move towards a period of progress. The politicians are doing it and succeeding; the EU has done it, and we, as a people, need to do likewise: Forgive, Forget and Forward march...!