what is patriotism?

Jan 26, Aug 15 . . .. what do these dates mean to us.
We all know the significance of these Anniversaries, but has it lost all meaning to us?
We just enjoy a holiday, away from work, studies etc. Do we ever stop and wonder!

Now what to wonder about? I really don’t know. But I can’t help feeling that we are all not doing something right. On festival days most of us do some sort of puja to god, eat a good meal and probably buy clothes, jewellery etc even if we don’t know/understand the significance of those festivals.
But what do we do on I Day and R Day? Hoist a flag, sing the Anthem and then enjoy the rest of the day?!!..... Shouldn’t we be doing something special on these days? Because we all know AND understand the significance of these two anniversaries. IS THERE ANYTHING WE CAN DO TO MARK THIS DAY, apart from the monotonous activities of flag hoisting and Anthem singing?


There is a special day for many things: there is a fathers day, mothers day, teachers day, Valentine’s Day friendship day, etc. Though these are often dismissed as a western conception and as marketing gimmicks, it atleast has given us an occasion to express our feelings. It is true that one loves his father/mother/teacher/girlfriend/ boyfriend every living moment. But it is not every day that you have the time and inclination to express your love to them. Such occasions as fathers day, mothers day,teachers day etc provide this opportunity.
In a similar way I Day and R Day are supposed to be anniversaries when we express our feelings or do some introspection. I Day and R Day are days on which we show or feel love for our country. It is true that we love out country every living moment (atleast most of us do), but how do we go about showing patriotism for the country?