India’s 72nd Independence Day : 15th August

Patriotism is in the air, once again! Proudly we, as Indians are celebrating 72nd Independence day, the day when we attained “Freedom” from the colonial rule. It is said that the day, August 15, 1947 was declared as an end of the British rule by the Britishers after ample bloodshed and sacrifice of human lives.

Then, we wanted freedom, freedom from the Britishers. Why?

• We craved for the freedom of speech
• Freedom in the form of liberalisation, which came much after
• We wanted more safety and security for every life that India was raising
• We wanted “Our” land for “Ourselves”
• Indian’s wanted to be have Indian governance
• We really wanted to be “Free”.

Lives were sacrificed, lots of blood was shed and finally we attained the so called Independence.

Independent India : Then and Now

But what now? Is there something different in this Free India from what it was in the colonial rule? It’s a hard hitting question, but it is a time when the meaning of this word “Freedom and Independence” needs to be reframed for us. I was born to the free India, and I can never imagine what it was under the British rule.

All what I have heard from my grandfathers is the only thing I believe in and what I see today is the fact I’m living in. History books speak loud of this Independence, but what after that? Have we really ensured that our freedom fighters feel proud of the Free India they left for us? Ever pondered what actually the term “Free” means?

India is a beautiful country, a country where people cared for each other and stood for their values. But somehow, along with the goodness, inhumane attitude is soaring. This community is going more and more materialistic. How can I just sit and chant the goodness of Free India, when

• I hear child rapes every day and following protests every month
• I see targeted female foeticide along with the “power” speaking of the rise of womanhood
• I read about the inhumane behaviour towards mentally-ill women in the shelter houses gruelling for funds and care staff’s
• I see that people still don’t care about littering their roads and oceans, forget about the AQI
• I still see Gender Inequality in neighbourhood, despite “worth praising women empowerment campaigns” every other day
• I still see children sleeping on the footpath in the night and begging during the day, despite the shelters being made
• I see so many victims of the power abuse, domestic violence, despite policies to empower women

Was all of this dreamt of by our freedom fighters who really wanted to witness India as a “Golden bird”? If they would have dreamt such, the history would have been indeed different.

We have the abundance of nature, rich heritage, varied seasons, legacy of tradition, colours of festivities, but have we really moved ahead of humanity and still fear to speak up and take initiatives?

• Are we left with so much of energy that we love Twitter trolling instead of trying to educate a child for an hour daily?
• Are we so much engrossed in self – love, that we have started ignoring the real need of orphans and people with disorders?
• Are we so immune today that we surrender our morals to power, just to “get something done”?
• Are we so engrossed in the digital world that we can shoot a video of accident victim rather than taking him/her to the hospital?
• Do we really have no words to stand up, fight, protect, cultivate our own initiatives even when we read the rape of a year old child?

We are all raising our children, who will take this “Freedom” baton ahead, but are we instilling those values of a Free India? Are we ourselves practising the values which we speak about? Instead of criticising the neighbour’s child are we making an attempt to improvise that child and our own kids? Are we really able to work towards littering issue, even in our neighbourhood?

These are few questions which I want every free Indian to think. We don’t need big policies for any transformations, rather those have never worked in this huge country. What we need today are small attempts towards these issues, which can be initiated right from our homes and societies we live in. We need to stop bitching the government policies and use that time and mindset to build up our own policies and small initiatives.

Whatever might be the real stats and discussions, I as an Indian women, would never love to read a global report citing India as a most dangerous country for women!

India is a country of 135 Crore people. Just Imagine if each one of us vow to take one Initiative and work whole heartedly to curb one immorality, not for whole nation, but just for our small section of society, how much better India it can become. Rise above yourselves and look at the surroundings. Make India truly ” free”. Every hand matters, make your contribution to our true Independence today.

[From my readers, I would like to know their thoughts and actions for Independent India, what naive initiatives have you taken on a small level to empower India from its core.]

Happy Independence Day!!

Let’s cherish the glory!