Ignorance is Bliss - How true it is!

This is in continuation to my earlier note on Tamil's state... I was until today, wondering it was normal for people to forget something that they have learnt called as 'fundamentals'. Oh yes! We do not give even an iota of importance to language as compared to learning universal language.

Now, on to why I feel 'Ignorance is Bliss' is such a true adage. Thanks to a regional channel program that has evinced interest in me watching. As usual, I switched on my TV to watch this KAKS program in the same regional channel. Today's questions were:

1. What is India's National Tree? (translated - Indiavin desiya maram edhu?)

2. Who is the current President of India?

Let me write about the answers for the second question first. I am quite convinced that The President is a famous personality or should be a famous personality!

If Barack Obama visited India and Indonesia, at least for the days he visited the Asian countries, every citizen from 5 to 80 would have remembered the PRESIDENT of US is BARACK OBAMA. That was the charisma, personality or - whatever you may call, he has!. He is a great orator, a charming guy...so on...

Whilst the President of US has a great respect, our Indian President is not known at all in our own soil.Very few people even knew it is a Woman who is the President and that Smt. Prathiba Patil is the current P of I. I seriously feel sorry for people's ignorance about our country!

Is it because, the President is not as famous as the Prime Minister?

Is it because, the President is not from South India?

Or is it because, the President does not make many visits to states within India? - I do not know why!

Now on to the vote:

Some people said it is Shri APJ Abdul Kalam still continuing (Wishful Thinking!!!!). In spite of the compere asking the CURRENT and not EX.

But, the long back governor of Tamilnadu has got a strong remembrancerememberance in the minds of people. She was refered to as the current PRESIDENT of India. What a pity!.Who do we blame? Many said it is FATHIMA BEEVI (pls remember her tenure was between 1997 to 2001) . Very few strongly said it is SMT. PRATHIBA PATEL. Phew!

I have always felt, PERSONALITY matters a lot when you represent a nation!. The nation has produced lot of charismatic leaders in the past and now.(E.g. Arun Jaitley, Jairam Ramesh, Kapil Sibal, Prakash Karat)

I will leave it to the readers to decide where we stand!.

By the way, have you guys guessed which is the National Tree? The answers from public ranged from Teak tree to Neem tree to Peepal tree.. Shhhhh. I am not going to answer.I am sure, you guys would have guessed the right one!!!

(My two cents worth)

Signing off

Hema