India, May 18 -- 'Freedom can never be taken for granted. It always requires awareness, strength and austerity. I invite all of you to whatever religion or party or group you may belong to as comrades in this great struggle that has been forced upon us. I have full faith in our people and in the cause and in the future of our country,' Prime Minister (PM) Jawaharlal Nehru said in a speech broadcast by All India Radio on October 22, 1962. China had attacked India, and despite many challenges, our forces were fighting on the northern borders. There was a massive response by the people to his call to action. The secessionist movement in Tamil Nadu stopped. In one Rajasthan village, 250 families pledged to send their sons to the Army. All the strikes and movements were suspended. Women from every part of the country bought wool from the money saved to knit sweaters for the Army men. My mother was one of them. Many women donated their mangalsutras (marital necklaces) to the government treasury for military equipment purchase. Among those donating their gold was Nehru's only child, Indira Gandhi. Millions of women set the same example from Kashmir to Kanyakumari. Within three years, India faced another tough test. In 1965, US president Lyndon B Johnson delayed our wheat supply. In response, PM Lal Bahadur Shastri appealed to his countrymen to forgo meals once a week to save grains. I was in primary school. On Tuesday evenings, roti and a simple vegetable would be cooked for us children. My parents and old grandfather would observe a fast. They termed it a blessing of Lord Hanuman. Our father would urge us to be grateful to god for having food on our plates. He would end with, "Right now, thousands in the country are sleeping hungry." Today, when the entire world is suffering due to the crisis in West Asia, I am reminded of the 1973 imbroglio in the region. Relations deteriorated between the Gulf countries and the US. It led to an energy supply breakdown. Those were challenging times. The government led by Indira Gandhi had to raise the price of petrol from Rs.1.60 per litre to Rs.2.75 per litre. The Centre's budget that year was termed a Black Budget. The war with Pakistan, refugees from Bangladesh, drought during 1972-73 and the runaway defence budget broke the government and citizens alike. The meteorological department's prediction of deficient monsoon rainfall this year comes amid skyrocketing fuel prices. There's a world of difference between the situations of 1973 and today. There were just 6.5 lakh motor vehicles in the country then, and today, there are 40 crore; only 4,055 kilometres of the railway network was electrified with 80% of trains running on coal and diesel, compared to 100% electrification of the network today. Our energy requirement has increased several times between then and now. However, the government has kept fuel prices stable, even with the increase on Friday. The increase was marginal. India is the only nation providing free ration to 800 million people. This, at a time when the rupee is registering a record slide in comparison to dollar and Euro due to collapsing international trade. Energy prices may rise further in the near future. I can't understand the hue and cry if, at such a time, PM Narendra Modi is appealing to restrict energy consumption, stop buying gold for a year and desist from undertaking unnecessary foreign travel. This is when the Prime Minister and many other important people have cut down on their convoys and other paraphernalia. I don't want to waste my time on politicians and their politics. Their tone changes according to the tide of time. In 1962, our country faced extreme challenges due to the Chinese aggression. At that time, Atal Bihari Vajpayee was tearing into Nehru's policies in Parliament. Later, he meditated on his action and, during the Bangladesh War in 1971, he extended the Opposition's support to Indira Gandhi. But other leaders didn't learn any lessons from him. The same Vajpayee later became PM. Even today, he is considered a beacon of Indian politics. Those who attacked the Congress during the 1962, '65, and '71 wars now hold office. Now, Congress leaders are attacking the BJP. The way politics has panned out leaves everyone sad. How can our politicians change their stance with such consummate ease? It's unfortunate that their behaviour is leading to disillusionment among the masses. In 1999, when India's defence forces were moving to the border during the Kargil conflict, there was no one on the railway stations offering them packed food, shouting, "Bharat Mata ki jai". Between 1962 and 1971, Indians would shout patriotic slogans when trains with Army men would pass. The kind of partisan narratives peddled during Operation Sindoor seemed like a warning for the times that are coming. Are we heading towards a time of depleting patriotism and collective social conscience? Can we turn the tide of this dangerous apathy?...