We Indians are a patriotic lot. In spite of cursing our country and its law makers thousand times a day, we strongly believe that India and Indians are THE BEST.
But most often our patriotism is expressed in limited ways.
Only people who actually care for our country and save its borders are our soldiers. When all of us say "jeevam bhadrani pashyanti", these soldiers play with their lives to save ours.But most often our patriotism is expressed in limited ways.
- Pakistan bashing
- (rarely) America bashing
- Calling any one who opposes our leader as a traitor
We the common Indians, remember about the word - patriotism only on Independence day.
May be this rule applies to citizens of other countries as well.
But not Beirut Banksy. He draws cultural figures on the walls of Beirut. It is his effort in reuniting the Lebanese, who are divided in political and sectarian divisions.
His real name is Yazan Halwani. 22 year old Halwani peels of political posters off the walls to make room for his murals.
Lebanon has undergone civil war from 1975 to 1990 and it is still in political stagnation. The country is unable to elect a president for over a year. And as a result of this, in many areas of the country, even basic facilities like electricity and water supply are not regular.
Though Halwani organizes marches against political system, he does not write any political statements in his artworks - instead he draws singers, poets etc because the cultural figures are unifying.
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| Lebanese singer actress Sabah painted on wall by Halwani |
His painting of a homeless man - Ali Abdullah (, who died in 2013 due to harsh weather) mobilized hundreds of Lebanese youth to launch initiatives to help homeless.
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| Image courtesy : Huffington Post |
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