AGE 63

PURNA SWARAJ ... this was the only aim of all Indians till august 14th ,1947 and it was fulfilled the very next day. In-numerous "sacrifices" were made by our ancestors selflessly and for all that suffering, our freedom was their reward. Most of them have perished leaving the "independent" INDIA in our hands hoping that we would carefully build on and fulfill their dreams,vision and aspirations.

today on the eve of our 63rd independence day I really am confused with the term independence and why did we fight and struggle so hard for it. why did India need independence?? what was expected after independence?? for what or why did people fight so hard for independence?? was it a selfish cause?? did our forefathers have a direction after independence??

 

when I looked up at the dictionary for the meaning of Independence I found out the following :

1. (n.) The state or quality of being independent; freedom from dependence; exemption from reliance on, or control by, others; self-subsistence or maintenance; direction of one's own affairs without interference.

it says "freedom from dependence" which meant in the pre-1947 context that we were dependent on the British empire for each and everything, "exemption from reliance on and control by" various other external forces in deciding what is good or bad for the country irrespective of what people thought, "direction of one's own affairs without interference " means we decide our own policy and we can plan our country's future .

this is what was intended. My confusion is when do we call ourselves independent???  is it the day we got a chance to become independent or is it the day we achieved it. 1947 aug 15 was the day we got a chance, so when is the day in these 63 yrs where we could proudly say we have achieved it??? does independence only mean that you have your own constitution and a set of rights to uphold your self pride??? does independence really mean enjoying the power of ruling yourself , good or bad??? does independence mean unity or division in the name of caste, religion, region and language??? does independence mean borrowing money from other external sources or forces which dictate terms to u on what you have to do??? does independence mean you can violate the same law you have made?? does independence mean compromise your country's benefit for selfish interests?? or does it mean spending your own money for yourself???

the problem is that we are still in a very big illusion that we are independent , that was not the real independence we got that day.. it was just a path laid to achieve it.. it was a wonderful opportunity given to us to be the change and take the nation forward.. but just after the chance was given, the selfless Indians turned selfish . we put ourselves above our country and still doing the same... the Britishers made us slaves for money and we still haven't come out of it.. we are still dividing ourselves and still delaying our independence.. we as a nation have done each and every mistake possible right from that day failing our dream... our vision of independence ended on Aug 15 on which we thought the road ahead will be an obstacle free path.. instead of facing the challenges that lay ahead we rested peacefully thinking that the biggest job is done... its not the birth of the child my dear friend which is important but how we refine him and nurture him since then is what can make him a good intelligent and independent individual but we thought giving birth itself is independence and are still thinking.....

so my country is only 63 yrs young now but crippled .. its suffering from ill health because of malnutrition.. it is still learning how to walk where others have started running even before half its age... its body is pretty huge with fat everywhere and there are a billion of its organs that depend on it or say that are making it function.. as it celebrates its 63rd birthday tomorrow my country wishes that its organs grow up soon and help it overcome its weakness and emerge strong in front of its colleagues proving that even we are worthy challengers in this mad race.... prove that even though we are a bit slow we still have it in ourselves to make the difference.. and most importantly my country wants to be independent soon like most of its colleagues.

i have a dream

"I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character."   - Martin Luther King jr.

according to me the above spoken words are the most historic and the best lines ever uttered by a person. even today I feel the goosebumps whenever I hear that speech or those sentences. In a society where coloured men were treated not like human but like animals, whose jaws got used to the clenched fists of the "cultured", whose bodies were bunched and sold barbarically , who had a mouth to speak but didn't have a voice. It was all prejudice, superiority , domination against the excess melanined. A hormone whose excessive or lesser levels in the human body lead to the most shameful (may be a very small word) acts in this world.RACISM

RACE is a very important word and it has been the most controversial too. Here was a race which has been suppressed from centuries, whose descendants though human were treated most brutally. They didn't have any rights forget the right to freedom not even the right to speech. Generations have passed , times have changed but not the practices. And these were at their best in America whose constitution boasted to "secure  the blessings of liberty" , but where was it?????

A voice was needed and it was Martin Luther King Jr. and the most defining moment in the American Civil Rights Movement came when he delivered the most powerful "I have a dream" speech. this was a real turning point in the history as it could influence even the anti niggers in the country. Former US president Bill Clinton quoted in his autobiography that he cried only twice in his life and one was after he heard the speech.

That is history on august 28 1963.

46 years later the best ever moment in the entire history of mankind took place( according to me). A black whose father was a Muslim became the first citizen of the same country which didn't even provide a right to vote to the blacks when the speech was made. The event that marked a new beginning and proving the most famous lines in the speech. America became a country which judged a person on the strength of his character but not the color of the skin. equal opportunities which was a dream became more than a reality. It was the time the word RACE bowed in front of mankind who proved that blood was red in colour irrespective of the amount of melanin.  In the eyes of a 102 yr old black lady who was bartered into the country who didnt even have a right to vote for most of her life elected her president with matching skins.

that was the moment i cherish a lot and felt very proud . The term CHANGE has it meaning and we believe in it. If Barack Obama could become the president of Uncle Sam , nothing else is impossible.

I have a dream.