This is my response to Priya Ramani’s article published in LiveMint where she discusses how her patriotism is superior to ours.

Dear Priya Ramani ji,

Your patriotism is ignorant. Our patriotism is awareness. Your patriotism is convenient, ours is sheer struggle.

You have a barometer for your patriotism, like a patriotism meter, some days you feel “more” patriotic than the others. Sorry, but our patriotism is unfathomable on a daily basis. We love our mother unconditionally, unapologetically.

Priya Ramani ji, Your patriotism is a creature of elitism, ours is indigenous and from grassroots. Our patriotism is in our blood, Your patriotism is in your bloody mary. Your patriotism is best articulated with some friends over Old Monk. Our patriotism is a tad bit different. Our patriotism is on the ground, right there with our people, celebrating it. And I am sorry, that we are not sorry enough to celebrate our patriotism loud and clear. You are embarrassed of your patriotism, hence you keep it in closed doors. Our patriotism is our pride for our motherland, we wear it as a badge of honour.

Your patriotism has neither seen nor observed anything good happening in this great country, our patriotism teaches us to take it on the chin and stride forward, together.

Your patriotism is urban, ours is rustic. Your patriotism is High tea, our patriotism is Chai Pe Charcha.

Priya Ramani ji, Your patriotism sees two types of terrorism (saffron and secular). Our patriotism is a call to unite against terrorism. Your patriotism is habitual of compromise and complacency, ours refuses to tolerate without replying in the same coin.

Your patriotism craves for chaos, our patriotism deals with discipline. Your patriotism is too intellectual, sometimes too intellectual for comprehension of humans and their humanity, forget our puny patriotism.

Your patriotism believes in struggle for disintegration in the name of independence, wherever there is oil and natural gas.

Your patriotism is an acquired taste, our patriotism is in the milk we drink. And yes, our patriotism believes that who feeds us with milk, is our mother. Your patriotism strives for political correctness, our patriotism is bare-naked truth. Sometimes too bitter and too ugly for your politically correct sense of patriotism.

Your patriotism sees the state as a service provider, you pay your taxes and then the state is liable to provide services to you. Our patriotism sees the state as a facilitator, we pay the taxes so that the government provides services to those who cannot pay taxes. Your patriotism ridicules the jawan standing on Siachen, our patriotism prays for his safety every time the national anthem comes up anywhere, even in the cinemas.

Your patriotism cannot differentiate between the state and the motherland, our patriotism criticizes the state as and when required, but our patriotism CANNOT hear anything against our motherland.

Priya Ramani ji, Your patriotism sees rainbow colours, ours sees and feels the Tricolour.

Your patriotism differentiates between an Indian and Hindu, our patriotism knows and believes that factually, historically and biologically that they are one and the same.

Your patriotism is being in love with your own voice, our patriotism is in love with every bird that chirps, every wave that cracks and every raindrop that falls.

Your patriotism is a figment of your imagination, ours is a unanimous national vision.

Priya Ramani ji, Your patriotism is alarmed only after Nirbhaya happens, our patriots work in anti-romeo squads so as to ensure that another Nirbhaya never happens.

Your patriotism is fighting for the mercy of Yakoob Memon, ours is fighting for justice of Captain Saurabh Kalia. Because war did not kill him. Pakistan did.

Your patriotism believes the history taught by the NCERT, that teaches the fifth grade students that Rahul Gandhi is the youth icon and has been in the state of constant struggle. Hats, Shirts, Trousers, Socks off to your sense of history and the patriotism it entails.

Priya Ramani, Your patriotism only respects Mahatma Gandhi and Nehru, ours respects not only Bapu and Nehru, but Bhagat Singh, Netaji and Veer Savarkar and every other freedom fighter.

Your patriotism is selective, ours does not discriminate. Your patriotism is loud on dowry and totally mum on Triple Talak, our patriortism as I just said does not discriminate.

Your patriotism is at its peak during Jallikattu, but read this, banning “illegal” slaughterhouses is shamefully our patriotism. Your patriotism is a hobby, ours is a way of life.

Your patriotism is careless while ours is cautious. Your patriotism gets active when a terrorist Burhan Wani is killed in an operation, but your patriotism turns dormant when according to your friends little kids spread terror on Holi.

Your patriotism is in full force when stray dogs cannot tolerate the crackers of Diwali, but looks like your patriotism gets blind, deaf and dumb during Bakr-Eid. And just for your information, our patriotism celebrates all the festivals with equal passion and we are sorry to bring this again, our patriotism does not discriminate.

Your patriotism is promoting Sharia Bolshevism and in the same breath calling our patriotism fascism.

Your patriotism believes in “Let them eat cake”, our patriotism believes in Sabka Saath Sabka Vikas so that such a situation never arises.

Priya Ramani, Your patriotism is baseless, ours is fundamental. Your fellow patriots were way too long at the helm of the affairs.

So your patriotism started to believe that it is the only form of ideal patriotism and anything else is anti-nationalism, neo Nazism, fascism etc. Your patriotism is vindictive in nature. Your patriotism was too arrogant to even acknowledge, forget appreciate our patriotism and its existence since forever. Your patriotism has lived in denial, our patriotism is a creature of acceptance.

Your patriotism is about defeating our patriotism. But with all humility, trust our patriotism, your patriotism and your opinion about our patriotism has never mattered to us and our patriotism. So no question arises about your patriotism winning or losing.

Priya Ramani, If at all you still feel your patriotism has failed, it is perhaps because you refer to your patriotism as “my” patriotism. And Our patriotism is perhaps winning because its “Our” patriotism. Not mine, his or hers. Ours.