India I am proud of you!

"In the middle of 1965 India-Pakistan war, US govt - then a close
friend of Pakistan - threatened India with stopping food-aid (remember
"PL-480"?). For a food deficient India this threat was serious and
humiliating. So much so that in the middle of war, Prime Minister
(Late) Lal Bahadur Shastri went to Ram Leela Grounds in Delhi and
appealed to each Indian to observe one-meal-fast every week to answer
the American threat. As a school boy, I joined those millions who
responded to Shastri ji's call. I continued the fast even when the war
was over and India became self sufficient in food. Hurt deep by the
national humiliation suffered at the hands of the US govt, I had vowed
to stop my weekly fast only when India starts giving aid to USA.

It took just 40 years. Last week THE day arrived. When Indian ambassador
in Washington DC handed over a cheque of US$ 50 million to the US govt,
two plane loads of food, medical aid and other relief materials were
waiting to fly to the USA. Time to break the fast? With no bad feeling
about the USA, and good wishes for the Katrina victims, this humble
Indian feels proud of the distance India has covered in 40 years. Let's
celebrate a New India!"

- Vijay Kranti.
Dean - IIT Madras