Dear Soldier

Our body drenched in water, faces covered with colors, feet dancing to the tune of tambourine, hands holding drinks, lips uttering wishes of happiest holi, mind lost in the celebration, carefree, enjoying the essence of moment we forgot that you are standing away from your family on our national frontier in extreme conditions safeguarding our lives.

While celebrating with our family and friends, relishing the delicious cuisine, enjoying the soft melodies music, gossiping about inflation and corruption, abusing the government for their failure, planning the next weekend we forgot that at line of control (LOC) you are standing tall and firm, stoic and resolute, even without basic necessities, eating the fodder like food, surrounded by enemies aiming your life, embracing wounds as prize; you are standing there to protect us, to protect our freedom, to protect our dreams; you are standing with your chest up in the way of enemies, facing them right into their eyes and fighting them till the very last drop of your blood. Dear soldier, forgive us for burying your sacrifices, forgive us for ignoring your contribution in our lives.

Sleeping peacefully on our cozy beds, lost in our beautiful dreams, cuddling and hugging and kissing our mates; we forgot your wife who is hiding her pain of being away from you behind her fake smile; your kids who are waiting for your warmth, your mother who is constantly running away from the mere thought of losing you, your father who feels weak seeing your mother cry. Dear soldier accept our deep apologies for forgetting your ultimate sacrifice, for forgetting the pain you are bearing for us and for forgetting all your suffering.

Dear soldier, we are sorry for failing as citizens you wished us to be.

We stood quite when a girl was harassed in the market, we remained silent when she was judged by her clothes, we stood still when she was raped by a group of boys and thrown on the road – naked, begging for help; we remained quiet as a lamb, we excused ourselves saying why to invite trouble? And we stood like corpse seeing her getting lost to this so-called society. We stood still when the boy who stepped forward to help her was brutally beaten up the very next day. We stood restrained when his parents were threatened to stop him from opening his mouth. We remained numb when their families were humiliated by the cops, we remained quiet when she was declared slut in the open court and we remained hush when the boy who helped her was called her dealer and we remained shut when she jumped in front of a lorry and ended her life. We are sorry for witnessing everything and still staying numb. We are sorry for encouraging these crimes and later abusing the government for the same. Dear soldier sorry for failing as citizens you wished us to be.

It's not that we love such nonsense or that we don't care about people around. It's just that we are weak inside.

We already have so much in our plate that we are scared to take anything more. We are scared of any trouble or inconvenience that may come in that way. We are afraid of our system- because you might not know but behind your back our law and order has become the toy- rich and powerful people play with. They use law and order according to their will and wish and we being the common man are afraid to fight against them.

Dear soldier, accept our apologies for not being brave like you, sorry for not being able to fight like you, sorry for not being able to sacrifice our comfort for others as you do, sorry for not meeting your expectations and sorry for not being the citizen you wished us to be.

Dear soldier, although we haven't done anything for which you can pat our shoulder till now. But we promise we would try our best to be like you. We would give our best in making the inside of the country as good as you have maintained it from outside. Dear soldier, thank you for being our shield.