The country and its present generation, in the august company of its preceding ageing fraternity, appear to be elated on hearing about the legacy handed down from the past, earning flattering global rating on various counts, not to recount low rating on some counts which are common knowledge of those who are avid readers of dailies in their favoured language. The refined components of that rich legacy such as (a) Literary works of unquestionable merit of wisdom, in prose and verse, (b) Musical forms, both classical and folklore, (c) Exquisite sculptures at shrines luring devotees of different faiths, (d) Customs of daily life with proven scientific validity, (e) Monuments that are leaving their beholders bewildered, (f) Agricultural practises that have stood the test of time over several centuries, (g) The now-disfavoured joint family system with its inbuilt insurance against unexpectedly happening hard times causing trauma to surviving members, (h) The Gurukula system of moulding young minds into robust adults and so on.

The point that the value and merit of the aforementioned components of the legacy from the land’s long past have got drowned in the cacophony of growing flock of misguided public speakers from different platforms addressing their adoring captive audiences cannot be disputed. Further, it is both gratifying and amazing that we often hear voices of learned people in many western countries acknowledging and also adoring those gifts bequeathed to us by our past generations systematically.

The media is unjustifiably accused of stoking unrest in society, apart from painting it a none-too-pleasing image to the world at large, forgetting that if the columns of front pages of dailies, barrings exceptions, didn’t report the current all-too-familiar happenings with its all-too-familiar leaders of masses then the dailies would be published with blank columns. The argument that the readers of dailies at large, given their emotion-loaded obsession to read in bold print reports portraying scandalous events, scams indulged in by elected representatives in seats of power, various uncivil acts such as rape and laundering money to be spent on projects for the welfare of people cannot be held against the media. Let it be said clearly and loudly, if the citizens conduct themselves befitting their legacy, the media shall faithfully report on them.

The myriad measures, taken ostensibly for the overall good of the nation and its people by successive governments that have the tacit approval and acceptance of the people are currently outnumbered by the rallies against those measures, protests, road shows marked by anger and other forms of disapproval with mass participation prompts one to pose the question: Where are we heading to ? There is no prize for the right answer!