Independence Day

SHARE:

independence day

What does Independence Day mean to us these days? To a school or college going kid it means a holiday. To a 25-30 year old corporate professional, it means a day off work and a dry day to stock up on alcohol. To a government servant, it means an off day or for some people to go to work and get a compensatory off later.

Is that what Independence Day has been reduced to? Just an off or a dry day. I get appalled to see people messaging each other reminding that it is a dry day and to stock up on liquor. In a country where independence is only 68 years old, the people of this great country do not seem to value their independence.

Independence is the freedom to speak one’s mind without fear. To be able to follow one’s religion. To be able to walk with your head held high something that many freedom fighters died to achieve and something that people in the armed forces still do, so that we can remain independent.

We love armchair criticism by saying nothing good can happen in this country and this country has no future. I have always said I love my country and am proud of being born in a civilization which is about 5000 years old. It has been contributing a lot towards science, medicine, philosophy, mathematics and numerous other fields. Our recent past may not be that great but we still have given the world some great thinkers, scientists and mathematicians. We love to point at some developed country and say that their country is better than ours, without looking at the effort being put in to make that particular country better. The truth is no country is perfect. A countries perfection is an ongoing and continuous process. We don’t even blink an eye when we say that this country is going to the dogs, but the fact is we want this country to remain a mess so we can keep ranting about it.

There are good people, the ones in the armed forces are the only ones directly contributing towards the prosperity of our nation and providing a peaceful environment. Most of the population under 25 do not seem to care about it. Yes, we are living in a free country, but it’s a free country where the meaning of freedom has diminished and not given important most of the time.

It’s time to stop criticizing, it’s high time to put down that glass and work for something bigger than ourselves, to make a better country, to make a better India.

 

Article Image by Hardik Gaurav