Independence Day
As the Independence Day is approaching, I am continuously haunted by a question i.e. are we truly free and independent? We have gained freedom from the British rule but what have we done with our independence? It has been 63 years since we have gained independence. We are a free nation now. But still after so many years, the question remains the same.
We proudly claim that we are independent from a foreign rule but we are still not free from jealousy, intolerance and hatred towards our fellow countrymen. We are full of bitterness towards other religions, traditions and always try to suppress the growth of the other. We are tied in shackles of terrorism, false ideologies, corruption, communal violence, and class – caste distinctions and so on. We tend to forget that independence is not only living freely but also allowing others to live freely.
We say that we are a free nation but our behavior suggests that we are still not free. We take pride in other’s culture but not in our own culture. We admire other nations but forget to count the good points of our nation. We love western culture and try to avoid Indian culture. We love pizza, McDonalds, Pepsi, and Coke but hate Indian recipes. We wear jeans, skirts and often criticize our saris and suits. We take pride in a foreign language but fail to learn and appreciate our language. We aspire for jobs in USA, UK, and Australia etc. and are filled with regret for being born and living in India. No doubt we are independent but monetarily paralyzed. We do not think independently, we often think what others make us think.
All this really makes one think that are we really independent? Are we a free nation? Are we worthy of any praise?
These are haunting questions which we may hesitate to answer but they are standing in our way of success and have to be answered as soon as possible. A unified India should come together to answer these questions as this is not a job of one individual but the whole nation.
It would be
We proudly claim that we are independent from a foreign rule but we are still not free from jealousy, intolerance and hatred towards our fellow countrymen. We are full of bitterness towards other religions, traditions and always try to suppress the growth of the other. We are tied in shackles of terrorism, false ideologies, corruption, communal violence, and class – caste distinctions and so on. We tend to forget that independence is not only living freely but also allowing others to live freely.
We say that we are a free nation but our behavior suggests that we are still not free. We take pride in other’s culture but not in our own culture. We admire other nations but forget to count the good points of our nation. We love western culture and try to avoid Indian culture. We love pizza, McDonalds, Pepsi, and Coke but hate Indian recipes. We wear jeans, skirts and often criticize our saris and suits. We take pride in a foreign language but fail to learn and appreciate our language. We aspire for jobs in USA, UK, and Australia etc. and are filled with regret for being born and living in India. No doubt we are independent but monetarily paralyzed. We do not think independently, we often think what others make us think.
All this really makes one think that are we really independent? Are we a free nation? Are we worthy of any praise?
These are haunting questions which we may hesitate to answer but they are standing in our way of success and have to be answered as soon as possible. A unified India should come together to answer these questions as this is not a job of one individual but the whole nation.
It would be