On 15th August 2010, India celebrated 63 years of freedom. This freedom had not come to us as a gift; we had to pay a huge price for it. It came to us at the cost of our brave freedom fighters who happily sacrificed their lives and at the cost of thousands of families, torn asunder by the ravages of Partition. Every year, for the past 63 years, we have hoisted our national flag and paid homage, not only to our motherland but also to all those martyred souls. Yet there remains a nagging doubt: are we really free?
Yes we are free from oppression, free of foreign rulers who had enslaved us for too long. But that is not enough anymore. Our forefathers had a vision, a vision of an advanced, developed India, shining in all its glory. The India of that vision and that of our reality have nothing in common. A new revolution is needed, with integrity, conviction and passion, not bullets and bombs, as our only arms.
India needs freedom from all the ills plaguing her. How long do we open the newspaper to read about women being molested, infant girls being aborted or killed just because of their gender and lovers being murdered in cold blood in the name of caste and honor? All through our school lives we have read about India's 'unity in diversity' but in reality, where is this unity? We are divided by religion, caste and gender and we are still oppressed. Only this time the oppressors are not outsiders but our own.
We need to free ourselves from the shackles of corruption and blind beliefs. We need freedom from having to choose the best of the worst when it comes to choosing the leaders of our country. We need freedom from the scams and scandals that erupt regularly and shame our motherland in front of the world. We need the freedom from terrorism in the name of religion or territory.
For me, India will be truly free the day when the common man will not think twice before approaching the authorities for help. I will feel free that one day when I can read the newspaper and not come across a single item of rape or murder in the name of religion, caste, honor, revenge, greed or depravity. We will celebrate our freedom the day we can walk out from our homes without fearing bomb blasts or communal riots. India will be truly shining when the sportsmen who make us proud can attribute their successes to the facilities available in India, even when the sport is not cricket. There is no dearth of talent in this country, yet our progress is blocked by nothing but deep rooted corruption. It is up to us, the children of India, to clean out these murky waters once and for all. We have remained a developing nation for 63 long years; now it's time to fight our way out of captivity once again.
