Celebrating Freedom!!

Freedom!! Independence!! Swatantra!! ….these words reflect just one emotion…one feeling which was collectively felt by the millions of people of India at the break of 15th August,1947 as Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru read out the freedom speech, to flag off a start of an era…an era which would see India free from the clutches of the British!! Having been oppressed, subdued…looted…and suffered at the hands of the cruel British for a period of 200 years…it was a revolution, an eruption of a volcano…which took the form of the glorious celebration that followed the declaration of freedom!! Somewhere a mother saw her little child open her eyes for the first time to an independent nation, a father watched as his brave heart of a son returned successfully after doing his bit for the country…a daughter erupted in joy on seeing her long lost father….whereas on the other hand…a grandmother wept the waves of partition swept across her family…separating her from her son and grandchildren...a wife saw the death of her husband as he sacrificed his life for the sake of his motherland…for the sake of that country which stood the test of time and emerged victorious…so that, we, the children of independent India could lead a normal life!!!
Freedom, back then, meant the ability to enjoy the success of a long and hard fought war…a war which was reminiscent of all the bloodshed, the loss of property and precious lives…and most importantly it meant the liberty to live their own life without any fears!
Fast forward 63 years….and we see the national flag rising high up in the sky…soaring towards glory…on the occasion of Independence Day, as hundreds of politicians and bureaucrats unfurl the eternal symbol of India, the tricolour! But, has India achieved freedom in the true sense of the word? How far have we progressed in these 63 years that we’ve had to build our nation from scratch? Not really I would say…coz today when I look around I see misery everywhere…I see the suffering of the poor, the downtrodden, the distress of social outcastes, and the pains of people. The British came, looted a magnificent India of all her richness...and left her in darkness to heal her wounds, and it seems like an eternity before our mother regains all of her strength!!
What is synonymous with the India of today is its politics; the thousands of bureaucrats who enjoy power and some of whom take undue advantage of the same; filthy cities along with their overflowing population; the reputation of housing Asia’s largest slum; the brilliant minds of thousands of Indians who build enormous business empires; the Shah Rukh Khans and the Mallika Sherawats; the religious practices and cultural activities; young lads who migrate to other shores in search of better ‘opportunities’; the growth of technology and its eventual entry into all possible aspects of life…and last but never the least the conviction that a day will come when all of us can proudly say that we played a part in making India, a power to reckon with!! But for that we will have to plug a few loopholes which plague our society on the whole…should erase the term poverty from the pages of India…should direct the flow of currency through safe hands….and to do which the most necessary tool is education!! Our country will progress when at least one member of a family has access to quality education so that he becomes capable of earning his daily bread!!
The need of the hour is to wipe out that imaginary line which exists between those who have and those who don’t have! Each and every person must shoulder the responsibility of doing his bit for the country…give back something to a nation which has given him everything…to serve his motherland in any possible way that would see her attain her past glory!! To see India shining brightly will be the dream of every Indian, but what we do in that regard is what makes the difference…Words don’t speak...actions do!! So here’s an appeal to all those people who are celebrating the 63rd Independence Day, to come, and strive to make India, a truly independent nation!!! Hats off to this great motherland!!!!!!