To my shock and dismay, we were refused the slot for 20 minutes and instead, were offered a 5-minute one, as the authorities decided to keep it simple that morning, so that they could prep themselves up for the exciting DJ night. I outrightly refused the offer, but this left me thinking about the prevailing hypocrisy in our society.

1. I was OK with the outright rejection of the offer, as it was done to other children of the locality who wanted to perform. I wasn’t OK with the 5- minute accommodation slot, in the name of inclusion. It just doesn’t serve my purpose.
2. I was and am OK with all the rules one has to follow in a public place, but I am not OK with a few authorities deciding/dictating terms on the usage of a public park. If there are any exclusive agreements, I guess I have a right to know what they are!
3. I am OK with any kind of service/costs towards the maintenance of the park as a law-abiding citizen of this country, but I am not OK when someone cuts down the time for a march past on a Republic Day to accommodate a DJ night for the citizens of that locality
4. Last but not the least, I stand proud to claim that we need equal rights to belong in the truest sense and we don’t need charity. It’s a matter of human rights after all.

75 years into Indian Independence, and speaking for all the
disadvantaged communities, I can only say that every individual matters; only then can true diversity and oneness prevail.
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Jai Hind!