Ah, India! The land of a billion dreams, where every sunrise is painted in hues of hope, and every sunset is a festival of possibilities. A country where diversity is its biggest asset, and unity is our favourite catchphrase, used by politicians and pundits to sound progressive—except when it doesn't suit the narrative. Somehow, Bollywood is very representative of our country: bright, dramatic, and full of over-the-top dialogues, but with a cliché plot.

The slogan "Unity in Diversity" is echoed by every politician. And what better way to unite people than by constantly reminding them that the person sitting next to them is different? Who needs multiple identities when we can have a national identity that's just a bit too narrow for comfort?

In the last decade, India's been busy redefining its "unity," making sure that only those with the right credentials—saffron—are included. Long gone is the Constitution's guarantee of equality under the law. These days, it's about ensuring that only one kind of nationalism is practised, preferably the kind that makes you chant slogans in sleep and forget that the country has a plethora of languages and as many, if not more, customs. To top it all, we are called a land of religions.

Let's not forget the spectacle of the Mahakumbh, where millions gather to bathe in the Sangam. The Kumbh had been an inclusive event for centuries; now, it's more about the "right" people getting to take a dip in the holy waters. After all, we wouldn't want the unwashed to taint the purity of our spiritual extravaganza.

As for the upcoming budget? Education and healthcare? Data from previous years suggest that they will be on the list—just at the bottom. Child and women welfare? Ah, well, it is enough to trumpet a few more schemes and promise a little revdi; after all, that's more of a "nice to have" than a "need to have." After all, who needs well-nourished children and women's safety when you can have more temples, more statues, and more slogans?

We, in our aeons of greatness, have already figured out that the road to greatness doesn't require investing in people or their welfare. Just keep people distracted with the latest festival, the latest scam, or the latest nationalist outrage. Who needs to worry about things like hunger or malnutrition when you can chant about "unity" and "culture" while passing the buck on everything that matters?

So, let's keep the facade going. Let's keep pretending that "unity" is what binds us all, even as we're slicing up that unity into smaller and smaller pieces. After all, if we can't unite over something as simple as human decency, at least we can unite over our mutual ability to ignore the obvious.

In the end, India is still a land of dreams—just make sure your dreams align with the government's, or else, well, you might find yourself on the wrong side of "unity."