|| One day is not enough || I am continuously haunted by a question... are we truly free and independent? We have gained freedom from the British rule but what have we done with our 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.All this really makes one think that are we really independent? Are we a free nation? Are we worthy of any praise?Don’t our women still live in perennial fear of either being harassed for dowry (or even for birth of a girl child) at home or, teased, molested or raped every time they go out? Aren’t we guilty of female infanticide or even producing the largest number of child labourers in the world? And for that matter, aren’t our politicians guilty of becoming power brokers instead of true torch bearers of healthy democratic practices. The rot has seeped into the system. Here I am reminded of Rabindranath Tagore’s poem – Where the mind is without fear. Shouldn’t the poem be the anthem for all those who seek the freedom to hold their head high with knowledge, depth of truth and clear stream of reason, without any fear in their mind? Till we achieve this, the debate on do we really live in a free India, will continue, every 15th August…on and on!
Posted on: Fri, 15 Aug 2014 08:04:09 +0000
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