15th August marks the completion of 64 years of emergence of India as an independent sovereign nation. It is both an occasion of celebrations as well as that of introspection to ascertain as to where we have missed the train. Undoubtedly, much progress has been registered in many fields, but our failures outweigh our achivements. We celebrate our independence day with the usual exuberance that has seemigly lost much of its meaning and the rhetoric which has also lost much of its sheen. Admittedly, it is an occasion that makes every Indian proud of being free from the servility of the imperial power that ruled us for about three centuries. However, there are several unanswered questions that make us uneasy and squirm as we happily move on mouthing platitudes of having attained independence.
This solemn occasion of Independence Day makes most of us putting questions to ourselves and to our leaders who guide the destiny of this great nation, “Are we really independent even after 64 years of independence? What does independence mean to most of us or how independent are we? Have we strived to achieve the ideals we had set for ourselves?”
The answer to these and many more such questions is both yes and no. Broadly speaking, “No” outweighs the ‘Yes’ factor. We are independent when it comes to the field of art, literature (with a question mark) science and technology etc. But we are dependent on religion for most part, on vote bank politics, caste and reservations, dependent on foreign technology and import of bulk of defence equipment… and so on so forth.
Viewed in a broad spectrum, true freedom should mean proper progress of the people, their right to education, right to employment, right to live, right to work, right to food and water and right to free movement. Presently, freedom in all fronts is being eroded in India. Can we call it freedom when people go hungry, farmers commit suicide, when youngsters don’t get opportunity to educate themselves or women are beaten publicly in the altar of morality? The number of criminals and millionnaires are on the rise in the Parliament whereas a poor person cannot even think of contesting elections. So how can one say that the Indians are independent in the true sense?
Concomitantly, it is pitiful to see many young students not getting seats in the colleges and universities for higher education. Unless the basic necessities are not provided to the people, the very meaning of freedom is meaningless. The real meaning of freedom goes beyond the realm of having fast food, visiting grand malls or the pubs, disco or enjoying at parties. There is appalling poverty, illiteracy, unemployment, inequality, of opportunity, child labour, recession, rising population to deal with. Terrorism and insurgency are the biggest enemies lurking at our doorstep creating mayhem. We live in an ambience of fear and threat to our existence. Our farmers commit suicide; a large majority of our people is deprived of a roof over their head, proper food or basic healthcare facilities.
Frankly speaking, most of us have conducted ourselves very ruthlessly since independence. Many of us are still slaves of the feudal structure. Nearly 40% of the population lives under dismal conditions. Even the so-called middle class is keeping quiet and is being tightlipped. We have become prisoners of greed and consumerism. Within Bharat there are many mini Bharaths. There are multiple divisions within the society which are detrimental to our unity and integrity.
Even the conduct of the media over all these years has not been up to the mark. A part of the mainstream media has gone corrupt. It was very much during the recent general elections that the media has become a part and parcel of corporate world which is full of machinations. Ours is a society of “sellation”, where channels sell dreams 24X7. Now the only scope left is the alternate media like small newspapers, independent radio stations etc., which needs to wake up to the responsibility.
Answer to the question whether India’s future is going to be bleak or bright really rests with the youth. The younger generation has been brought up in an age of globalization and economic liberalization. Many young people are crazy about modern electronic gadgets, which is partly a good sign that youth is adaptable to modern technology. But they should harness this technology for promoting socio-economic development. Those young people who are well-educated and better placed economically should care for the rural youth as well.
Undoubtedly, India has made many worthy achievements in different fields and its ranking in the international economic ladder is praiseworthy. But much still needs to be done especially for almost half of the population and in particular for those living in the rural areas. We have not even reached 50% of the expectations which the people believed the country will be able to fulfill after independence. Though there is a substantial increase in the percentage of middle class, approximately 40% of the population still lives below poverty line in our country. The benefit of economic growth has been overshadowed by our inability to eradicate poverty. This is not what Independent Indians aspired for.
Doubtlessly, parliamentary democracy in India has survived all vicissitudes over all these years is credited to be world’s largest democracy, yet there are many defficiencies inherent in it. Right types of peole are not represented in the parliament and state legislatures. Factors like corruption, caste, regionalism, money and muscle power play dominant role in the elections. The elected representatives seldom come up to the expectations of the people who elect them. To make democracy more viable and accountable, system of recall of non-performing representatives should be introduced. Besides, a representative should not be allowed to contest again after having completed two terms. At the same time it is right of the people to have democratic way of governance. China has overtaken India though India was better placed than China when they became independent. The root cause of this non-performance is mainly due to the unstable governments we sometimes have both at the centre and states and also due to rampant corruption pervading our everyday life.
Dr S Radhakrisnan, the then President of India said in an Independence Day broadcast to nation: ‘‘Freedom is a matter of mind and heart. ‘If the mind is narrow and heart bitter, there is no freedom whatever else we may have.”
Incidentally, we, the children of ”free” India’s first generation, stand as a living evidence of narrow minds and bitter hearts inherently incompatible with the very concept of freedom. As we celebrate another year of independence, our hearts and minds have much to ask themselves and much to answer.
It is worth recalling here the words of late Achyut Patwardhan, who in an article written just before his death, had thus referred to the annual official fanfare associated with the observance of Independence Day. He wrote: ‘‘For me, this is not a day of jubilation but one of silent reflection as to why we have not succeeded in the realisation of our major objectives which gave meaning to years of national endeavour. We had no control on what the British were doing, but today we are masters in our own house…and it is necessary to reflect on what has prevented us during the past years from taking effective steps for what lies totally in our power…’’
On the eve of India’s first Independence Day, Mahatma Gandhi had refused to attend the celebrations at Red Fort and instead engaged himself in a lonely trek in the villages of Bengal, walking on foot, comforting the breaved and entreating them to remove from their hearts every trace of hatred and distrust. Today, the leaders who outwardly swear by Gandhi are infact most vociferous in seeking mileage through rhetoric of hatred and distrust.
Long before India achieved independence, Rabindranath Tagore had expressed the wish ‘‘Where the head is held high and the mind is without fear… into that heaven of freedom, my father, let my country awake!’’ Ironically today, our heads have risen so high that we command every other head to bow before us, our minds have grown so fearless that we terrorise our fellow brethren and we have so realised the joys of a heaven of freedom that we wish to have a separate such ‘‘heaven” for each of us.
Most of the pledges of yesteryears remain unfulfilled and the ambition of Mahatma Gandhi to wipe away the tears from the eyes of majority if not every Indian remains only a distant dream. We are facing the dearth of strong leadership of the stature of Mangal Pandey, Azad, Bhagat Singh, Swami Vivekananda, Tilak, Gandhi, Bose and Nehru who strived to make India independent. A strong leadership would help guide us move in the right path eschewing everything that is greedy and destructive and assimilating that which is in the best interest of the nation.
What is required at this juncture is a collective effort and a capable leadership that can help us to withstand the difficulties and adversities. People with vision and the zest to work for the betterment of the society should be given a chance to serve the country. It is time every Indian decides to arise, awake, think and act in a manner that makes all Indians proud of being the citizens of an independent India. Only then Independence has true meaning for Indians.
