Wednesday, 15 August 2012

Tryst With Destiny Revisited

15th August 1947,

India gains the status of being an Independent country. Having broken the bonds of slavery and finally gaining the control of their own destiny.
The times are Tumultuous. Uncertainty hangs over the head of the country having a population of 350 million. What is in the future? No one knows, but what every  person shares then is the feeling which has no substitute, which can never be faked, which can not be given  partially, which when a person desires it, there is no stopping them. Freedom.  The status of finally being able to call themselves, an Indian.  
Cut to 65 years later. Present day India, far from what anyone at that time could foresee , from a country taking its first steps, to what is now a soon to be super power in the world. Don’t think that I do not know about the problems our country is facing. The corruption, the apathy, the ignorance has definitely reached a breaking point, but what we really need to appreciate today is the fact that we can voice our opinions. We have the liberty to demand accountability. We have a right to be creators of our own destiny. We do not have to imagine “What if..” or wish for “If only..” we have the opportunities and the shot. I am not praising our present government in any way. If anything I  think they should know that this freedom which we have has a potential for making or marring the destiny of our "political masters" and not the other way round. I praise the spirit of this beautiful country. I praise the people. I applaud the independence that  drives us as citizens to support our country. I  praise the liberty assured to me by the will of this country, that makes me want to be known as a native of it. The constitution is but a piece of paper, it is the ideals on which it is based that truly assures me of freedom. Unlike the leaders or paper, ideals can never be killed, and can never be lost. Ideals cannot be destroyed, subdued at the most but never crushed, as to destroy an ideal would mean to destroy every believer of it, which by far cannot be done by anyone. This day I ask you, not only Indians, but all people who reside in a free  nation, to give a minute of your time to acknowledge the freedom which you have. To embrace it. To love it. To cherish it. To fight for it and to protect it, for without our freedom we are nothing but  puppets. Nothing but subjects. Nothing but mindless drones not seeming fit to mind themselves.
So today, for our country, for its civilization, for the ideals, for the principles, but most importantly for you and for me let us remember  the importance of this   right we have, and vow to defend it and justify it to the best of our abilities. Even though I don’t don the uniform  of a government official/ armed force member, today as a citizen of this country I say the following phrase with utmost belief, hope and courage because I believe in freedom. I believe in India  
Jai Hind!


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