Our Independence Day
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.
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.
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.
