Recently, we were celebrating our 58th Independence Day and this thought about 'Independence' chanced upon my mind. How independent are we (say Indians)? What do we really mean by independence? Is this the 'India' we may term really Independent? This is a pretty hot topic and a debate on this could easily long for days.
I personally do not think that Independence merely means freedom to do anything and that this could be marked by a flag hoisting ceremony every year. Did Independence mean only getting rid of the "Phirangs"? I do not think that we are free from them yet. Rather I feel that we are more bound to them. Our culture is deteriorating under the influence of phirangs, major part of our economy is still dependant on the MNC governed by phirangs, and we look onto them as an example in most of the cases.
Independence literally means "freedom from control or influence of another or others", how free are we then. Freedom has to come most importantly in thoughts of each and every Indian. Free thinking do not necessarily mean westernized thinking, rather for me it means sticking to the old and rich culture we inherit. I recently came across a news, wherein a Sarpanch of a Panchayat in India did not allow a woman to hoist the national flag; just because she was a dalit. This makes me wonder how free we are. Isn't that lady as much an Indian as the sarpanch? Visit this link to read more on this topic: "http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/1202862.cms".
58 years after achieving independence, where do we stand. Are we any different in terms of our situation now? We find our self immersed neck deep in corruption; we have a governing system where our leaders are the worst model. Our political system has moved from bad to worst, none of the administrative system is free of corruption. We still proclaim secularism and equality and we have elections fought here on the basis of cast, creed and religion. We claim to be the largest democracy (of the people, for the people and by the people); I wonder whether the entity 'people' here represents the corrupt bureaucrats.
I wonder when this situation is going to change. Where are we actually leading this country to? I sincerely hope that we all should reflect on this thought and act smartly towards the well being of our country. India is blessed with lots of resources, and the best among that being the people. We are a rare breed among mankind; we should realize our own values. I am not very good in history but I know that we (Indians) used to be the benchmark for many earlier. We all should grow up to our potential and regain our lost glory. If not now then never.
