If You had the Power to Make India a Better Place…

Here’s What These Celebrities Said –

The tricolour being hoisted at the Red Fort – the flag unfurling and flying gently in the crisp winter air. The strains of the National Anthem being sung. Speeches by top governmental leaders. Then, the ceremonial parade on Kartavya Path (formerly Rajpath and Kingsway even ahead of it). Synchronized marching of contingents in rhythm to the lilting tunes of bands or patriotic melodies. Beautifully-decorated tableaus showing our rich cultural heritage. Performances by school children and youth. A power-packed display of India’s modern military might and developments in science and technology. All the familiar vignettes of the annual Republic Day celebrations in New Delhi.

The whole nation joins in the festivities, and much the same scenes take place in countless cities and towns across India on the day.

But should Republic Day simply be a day of celebration? Many of us can’t help wondering what happens when the march-past ends, the performances get over, and participants go back to their own cities and towns. Shouldn’t there be more to it? Perhaps, it is the right day to pause awhile and make sense of all that is happening around us and to us right now, and take the steps we can – individually and collectively – to course-correct it.

Camongo spoke to some well-known faces of the Bengali entertainment world who shared their thoughts. Our question – What if you had the power to make India a better place?

Kaushik Sen – Not just India but the entire world is fast going beyond the possibility of ‘hope’ and ‘expectation’. Even as we speak, there are devasting wildfires blazing in California that even advanced firefighting equipment is unable to control. Such a catastrophic fire, many scientists agree, was caused by severe climate change.

What’s more, there is every likelihood of such terrible fires breaking out repeatedly in various places due to global climate crisis. It seems to me that we are inevitably hurtling towards a bleak future. So, it cannot be on a single individual to draw a roadmap for humanity – the onus is on Us. Each one of us needs to be aware. Each one needs to adopt corrective measures.

Arjun Chakrabarty– There are so many who are deprived of the basics in life and that includes infants and small children as well. Given a chance, my endeavour would be to provide the little ones with free nutrition and free education. Because both are sustained requirements through one’s lifetime, I would love to possess unlimited means to just carry on.

Sauraseni Maitra – There’s so much that I am thinking of right now. But first and foremost, I would work to ensure safety and security for all women.

With inputs from Neha Karmakar and Antaripa Mukherjee