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.