My country will be celebrating its 67th
Independence Day this year. And just like we follow rituals for Durga Puja,
Eid, Christmas, Easter, Moharram, Diwali like tradition coming down since ages
immemorial, the entire country would be celebrating Independence Day. A parade
at Red Fort, the Prime Minister’s speech, honouring our great Jawans and
martyrs, schools and colleges organizing cultural programmes, sending messages
to family and friends wishing Independence Day (and at the same time cursing
the telecom companies for not providing rate cutter services) putting up photos
and status updates on facebook, celebrities would tweet and fans would be
delighted at them (as if they fought for our Independence) and all wound end
with nightfall with the National Anthem and the National Song being played
innumerous times all over the country. And not to forget some NRIs in distant
countries and continents across the Indian Ocean, the Arabian Sea, the Pacific
celebrating August 15 the Indian way and showing off their patriotism.
Amidst all this
somewhere in some village of the same India, a poor child would be crying out
of hunger, a widow would still be looking across the broken village road for
her husband to return who had promised to bring colourful bangles for her
despite the known fact that he lost his life in some hawai-jahaj crash to rescue the bhakts
trapped in Uttarkashi. Somewhere in the capital-Delhi of the same India , yes the same India which is celebrating its
Independence Day, a mother would ask her teenaged daughter to return back home
before it gets dark reminding her of the plight of the girl who became a prey
to monsters on the fateful day of December 16 last year. A lean and frail
father would be walking all alone to the doctor because his young son is dead.
The one who died while participating in a rally in Kolkata whose cause of death
has kicked off a political debate among parties blaming each other for his
death but no one remembering that he would never walk back from the dead. A
mother would be crying all alone throughout the night because her son committed
suicide as he was bogged down due to debt, the reason for which was actually a bhodrolok from Saltlake, Kolkata who
promised him to return double the money once he put in some cash.
A state would still
be burning due to clashes of the people erupting out of the proposed
bifurcation. Some foreign tourists who felt delighted to be visiting a
Himalayan hill station in India would be regretting for their decision since
the hill people have called for an indefinite strike in their area demanding an
‘extra’ state just for them.
At the same time, journalists on the broadcast media would
be speculating who would be the next PM? Which would the next ‘new’ state of India ?
Should anti-rape laws be harsher? And at the end of every bulletin they shall
be wishing the entire Hindustan a
Happy Independence Day. Yes, the 67th Independence Day. Matter
to be proud of. Gandhi, Bhagat Singh, Nehru, Matangini Hazra, Rani Laxmibai,
Netaji and many others, they all fought for the country, The class 8 history
books says they fought for us. But today I question, “Did they really fight for
us? Us, the people who never care to think twice before throwing off food which
we do not find tasteful whereas still the majority of the nation’s population
is under below poverty line who cannot even afford to have a full square meal a
day even if it just costs Rs12!. Us, the people who never stop ourselves from
calling a woman wearing a knee-length dress and coming out of a pub at 10 in
the night, a slut.
Yes we are
celebrating the 67th Independence Day. The era when my mother still
could not abandon her fears of visiting Kashmir
because of the fear of terrorist attacks. The era when, I, an educated and
independent girl, and many more girls like me would still fear to step of home
once it’s dark. Even though we belong to the age of independent thinking and
equal respect for women! When a boy at a University would seek first class
results and yet be looked down upon because he belongs to a lower caste
community or might be because his father could not afford to buy him an iPhone.
The same father, who has only one square meal a day to ensure that he saves
enough money for his son’s education.
And we tell we are
independent. We debate, write long words and sentences discussing on the future
of independent India
once it becomes the superpower! And I keep wondering out of my illiteracy on
the issue, that on what basis are we planning to emerge as a Superpower!! I
still do not understand what would be our characteristics of emerging a
superpower! Now I know, superpower of having more and more people dying due top
hunger, more girls being molested, raped and their rapists roaming free
(because some generous Human Rights group fought for him, I wonder where does
humanity run away when it comes to the dignity of the girl!), more and more
Jawans dying to save the country from militants, our dearest mantris still fighting into how many
more states can they divide India!( Might be they think the more they divide
the soul, the more powerful it becomes. Might be they are great fans of Lord
Voldemort and sought the idea from his horcruxes!)
No I am not proud
of celebrating the Independence Day. I feel ashamed of singing the national
flag and saluting the National Flag. Because we failed the very purpose of Independence . August 15
for me, for the entire nation, is very much like another day (Of course with
‘beefed up security at airports, railway stations and places of national
importance). But apart from that, it’s nothing different. We are still not
independent of corruption, crime, harassment and oppression of the weak, rising
poverty, gender inequality, terrorism, communal clashes. We still have a long
way to achieve ‘Independence ’.
