15/08/2025
“Main nahi manta humara desh duniya ka sabse mahaan desh hai; lekin yeh zaroor manta hoon ki hum mein kabliyat hai, taqat hai, apne desh ko mahaan banane ki…”
-Mohan Bhargav ( ) in
There was a time when the term “patriotic film” in Bollywood didn’t automatically conjure images of chest-thumping nationalism or overblown jingoism. It meant stories that inspired you to love your country by quietly, persistently, doing your bit to make it better. In those days, patriotism wasn’t about who could shout the loudest- it was about who could serve the most, even in small, everyday ways. I am glad for that Bollywood which gave us a movie like Swades!
Mohan Bhargav’s ( ) lines ring as true now as they did twenty years ago. Because we do have the talent, the creativity, the natural wealth, and the human spirit to make India the best. But the truth is, corruption- from the smallest bribe at a local office to large-scale scams- has eaten into our foundation. And it’s not just “them”; over time, we too have grown complacent. We lower our expectations, stop believing change is possible, and tell ourselves that “this is just how things are.”
It doesn’t have to be.
This Independence Day, maybe it’s time to bring out the Mohan Bhargav in all of us. To stop waiting for the system to fix itself, and start with what we can do. Keep our surroundings clean. Refuse to pay a bribe. Support honest work. Demand accountability without fear.
Because “yeh wo bandhan hai jo kabhi toot nahi sakta”- the bond between us and our country is permanent. Let’s make it one we can be proud of.
! 🇮🇳
© Moviemaniacs 2.0