*India_@_75*

         

In the earlier saga, India was to be known for its rite, rituals, and wide tradition that India got as a gift from its ancestors and which is  famous for its  people who contributed to Literature, Art, Culture as well as Medicine whether be it Acharya Kanada, Aryabhata, Sushruta, Varahamihira, or take Sant Kabir. But no soon, an evil eye cast on the region. Foreign invaders including Mughals, Portuguese, Dutch, and lastly Britishers ruled the country and exploited countrymen very inhumanly.

” Only in the darkness can you see the stars.” – Martin Luther King Jr.

          Only those can imagine freedom, one who suffered through this tyranny. Rebel after rebel happened to break this despotism, and this further resulted in a series of Mass Agitation. Which brings the spirit of Revolution to commoners, irrespective of age, religion, gender, or social status. Many of them sacrificed their life, not for personal cause but in name of their motherland’s interest, which is a commendable thing in this revelation. They embraced death with a smile. I don’t think this type of crazy patriotism, history has ever seen. At last, after several years of revolutionary penance and thousand of sacrifices, on 15 Aug 1947 nation took a free breath in their own land.

          What does freedom mean for freedom fighters, while fighting a battle?
May to live sovereign life? make policies for our people? may uplift the livelihood of unprivileged brothers? abolish the class/caste system and bring the rule of people? making effort to compete with other developing nations? What to do next? This was the biggest question infront of stakeholders. Everyone had a different definition of freedom. Kids dream of better and more independent life, Youths want a prosperous and secure life, and females imagine freedom and dignity in their life that they never got in the past.
          Colonialism ends up, and the People’s government was established. New morning rose, now it’s a complicated task for policymakers to build up nation in a new manner because rulers didn’t keep anything for us, rather than poverty, riots, and a partitioned land and divided citizens. To bring countrymen united and lay the country’s foundation stone was the first goal to be accomplished and to frame, a rule book for guiding the country is another task. In 1952 first general elections happened, and work to frame policies, to formulate schemes and to set up  institutions. Food scarcity was also a major challenge for juvenile India. Our scientists and leaders collectively worked for it and made the country self-sufficient.

          Now after 74 years of self-improving, we are here at 75, celebrating its Diamond Jubilee. The situation has changed. New challenges, and new aspirations, every thing is new for us. At this stage, what does independence mean for us?

         

There are still miles to go ahead. The responsibility has  greatly increased when our majority population consist of the youth . Now we have more responsibility and opportunity than before. We must hand over the legacy of Nehru, Indira, Vajpayee, and such eminent visionary to upcoming generation. The responsibility of moving the country forward by inspiring sustainable development rather than making bigoted politics and the temptation of mobsters, the subject of election is now on our shoulders.  When the country became independent, Churchill and other British officers felt that this country with different cultures, languages, and traditions would not be able to remain united, but when the Constitution was being made in the constitution assembly, the then prime minister  travelled around the countries to promote equality, brotherhood, and tolerance which is mentioned in the constitution. India is a country with a federal system and in the last few years, steps have been taken to threaten that federal system. It is the need of the hour that all the four pillars of democracy should be strong and reliable. After Journalism, the judiciary is losing its credibility. It is a moral responsibility to carry forward the legacy of the many veterans they have inherited. Building new Parliament is not going to work, but the trust of the people on it should be increased. The blueprint which was planned in 1947, has to be kept in mind and we have to achieve milestones one after another for the well-being of citizens. We have to shape this India into a ‘Sujalam Suphalam’, and I believe, we will!

- ✍️ Tejas Shelake

Image Credit: p1: Aazadi ka Amrit Mahotsav official 

p2: Getty Images

p3: Twitter acc.

p4: Twitter acc.