Living the dream of an independent India

A long way to go

On August 15, 1947, the sigh of relief of around 350 million Indians was heard across the world. 'Freedom' for everyone was regaining the position we had before the British landed here.

Pretty soon though, feelings changed. Fragments appeared on the map; fine lines that represented not just state borders, but also creases on fellow Indians' foreheads. The Muslim-Hindu issue was the elephant in the room, and it finally trumpeted on the day Pakistan was carved. So was THAT freedom for the people who had moved there? Freedom from 'us'?

'Independence' can now be viewed from two angles. One is the bird's eye view. A beautiful balance of import and export, regularly held massive elections and a label of 'the world's biggest democracy'. Increased participation in world affairs, from climate change to global terrorism, an esteemed position in the UN and dealings with 'developed' countries.

But as you get down on your knees and look into the folds of the map, your eyes widen.

First, the courts. There are files upon files, spilling out the windows and onto the pothole-laden streets and you wonder, what could there possibly be complaints about? The 'world's largest democratic government must surely attend to the needs of its even larger population? That's just it. Every single voice, thought and opinion is recorded and stored away, never to be laid eyes upon again.

Dalits complain about upper castes, upper castes about Dalits, citizens about governments, governments about citizens, minister about minister, and… you get the idea. Crime breeds in every nook and cranny as if not one law exists to prevent it, despite there being numerous laws, written in English absolutely unintelligible to anyone, except the rule makers.

All of a sudden, you hear metal clattering to the ground. You look around to see shackles fallen to the ground and the relieved face of fifteen million Indians. But the relief is only fleeting, as they realise that the taxation process will be as mentally taxing next year as was this year.

Where is that wailing coming from? You pick through heaps of rubbish until you finally come across a baby crying in her mother's lap. She has been hungry longer than you can possibly muster. As of 2019 the number of poor was estimated to be about 28 per cent of the population, minus the figure rendered poor by the pandemic. But ration cards? And what about schemes like Ujjwala? Lack of information (or an overwhelming amount of misinformation) and people with fake identities deprive those in need. It is harder for information and aid to infiltrate slum areas and geographically cut-off parts of the country than it is for terrorists to cross borders. Economic dependence won't disappear of its own accord unless jobs and education are provided.

As you stand up to leave, the bureaucracy takes charge. A volley of questions is launched at you. Passport? Time of stay? Great-grandfather's country of origin? Gross income? Criminal record? And a bunch of other entirely unrelated things, the only aim being squashing another thick file in one of those 'government' buildings.

Happy (a long way to complete) Independence Day!

Shreya Pahuja, Class XII, Ryan International School, Chandigarh

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Utilising independence effectively

It's rightly said,' freedom is never at any price, it is the breath of life!' It has been 75 years for all of us as a free bird, but do we really remember the 200-year-old struggle of our beloved martyrs who gave away their lives back then for our peaceful present? From the ballads of the freedom fighters to the horrors of the British Raj, we have come a long way!

Standing in the 21st century, we can see that our nation has achieved Tagore's dream of freedom from the British Rule in his poem, 'Where the mind is without Fear', but have we entirely achieved the dream of self-respect? Are we free from the shackles of prejudice? That remains a question! It is the sacrifices of the Indian fighters and their zeal of an independent nation that is being served to us on platters.

To me independence means the freedom that sacrifices my desires to become a stronger person and yet does not separate me from my values. We, the youth of our country, cannot even imagine our voices being curbed, forget about our independence! It is just like a painting, we have the option of choosing different colours for our canvas and draw exactly what we wish to.

Independence is the power of imagination, imagination of an evolving, strong nation... Over the years, our nation might have evolved in every aspect of a developing nation, but never shall we forget the unending sacrifices that were made in the past because of which we are able to walk on the streets peacefully today. To define independence is just like trying to define breathing, imagine not having it! Children get up every morning and leave for school, that's freedom! A girl is able to walk on street, that's freedom! As an adult, we are able to choose our standard of living, that's freedom!

As a citizen of India, we are able to practice the Constitution, that's freedom! To be blessed to hoist our flag and sing our national anthem, that's freedom! We cannot imagine even a spark of second without freedom! It's easy to live our freedom today, but never shall we forget how it was taken from the British Raj! What lies in our bag is to learn how to utilise that independence effectively. Moments of freedom in the shade of joy, may the flag of our nation girl version high! May we remember the sacrifices at last and beat the expectations all surpassed!

Arshnoor Kaur, Class XI-B, St Soldier Int'l Convent School, Mohali

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India of my dreams

India is my nation. I have a dream about Independent India and I hope it will surely come true. In India of my dreams, every citizen would be able to live a comfortable life where there is no discrimination on the basis of caste, colour, gender and economic status so that there would be no gap between girl and boy, rich and poor. All would be given equal rights and safety. My biggest dream is to see women empowerment in all areas. I am very happy to see that now women are becoming independent and are shouldering family responsibilities along with their profession.

However, there are many things that need to be worked upon for women empowerment such as stopping female foeticide, creating more job opportunities and taking strict steps to stop crimes against women. In India of my dreams, I want poor people to get numerous job opportunities so that they do not starve and get proper shelter for their survival. Poor kids would get proper education with good medical facilities so that they can be developed to the fullest. There would be no corruption. All eligible people would have a decent job. There would be no seat reservations. So, all must hire eligible persons irrespective of their caste. In India of my dream, young experts would get proper job opportunities and will certainly witness profitable growth of GDP. All institutions would have good infrastructure and sanitation facilities. There are many villages where schools do not have proper sanitation and infrastructure which results in high drop out rate amongst girl students. The Government of India needs to work for the progress and improvement of villagers, especially women, who use open places as toilets and face health issues. All people would have freedom of expression, freedom of speech, and right to education for their optimal development.

Farmers would be respected as professionals because we get our dairy products, food items, vegetables, etc. from them. All farmers would be given good education about modern agricultural techniques, including irrigation methods, which would help them to promote the agricultural sector. Facilities and financial aid would be given to them for increasing the crop production so that they can live happily. The government would take best decisions and implement policies to make our country pollution free because pollution is very harmful for all living beings. By taking all these measures, our country would touch the heights of success.

Jasleen Kaur, Class X, Sri Guru Gobind Singh Public School, Sec 35/B, Chandigarh

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A scope of improvement

Jawaharlal Nehru quotes "Long years ago, we made a tryst with destiny, and now the time has come when we shall redeem our pledge, not wholly or in full measure, but very substantially. At the stroke of the midnight hour, when the world sleeps, India will awake to life and freedom."

These words alone reflected the faith, hope as well as dream of the Independent India, we are living in today. And after 74 years of independence when we look back on what we have achieved it feels like a dream. A country that was tagged ' Incapable of self-rule and deciding for itself' by the Britishers became one of the most successful democratic republics in the world. Today in India we have many opportunities, advancements, and rights for example because of the universal adult franchise all the citizens above 18 irrespective of caste, religion, race, gender are allowed to vote for a representative that doesn't rule its subjects rather he/she works for its people. In India, all the people are equal, by right before the law unlike pre-independence when Indians were punished harshly than Britishers. Our constitution is designed this way that no one feels inferior. We can now freely carry as well as respect our National Flag and not be afraid of Britishers confiscating it. We can now run our businesses without giving hefty taxes to Britishers rather now we only give a reasonable amount of tax that ultimately goes for our country's progress. And due to these opportunities, India has produced and shaped many gems like Azim Premji, Narayana Murthy, Abdul Kalam, General Manoj Mukund Naravane, Kailasavadivoo Sivan and the list is endless.

In a nutshell, we have formed a nation that is above religion, caste, race, status, gender, and being part of the progress of a nation like that is the biggest dream that we have fulfilled. Many people like to highlight the flaws in our country which is equally important but when we are always overlooking the rights, the privileges, the opportunities that our country provides us. We are not just underestimating all our country's achievements but we are also overlooking the struggles and efforts of thousands of movements led by various leaders, the bravery of people who left their high-paying British jobs to support our nation on its way to independence, the Martyrdom of thousands of brave freedom fighters who sacrificed themselves to make our country independent and that is certainly unfair. To sum up, all that has been stated our country is not perfect there is still a lot of scope for improvement and we will improve but there is no denying that the secular, democratic, Independent India we are living in today feels like a dream.

Mauli Rai, Class IX, Satluj Public School, Sector-4, Panchkula

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Independent in every way!

The fluttering wings knock at my window, as I watch through the blurred curtain of my eyes, trying to get a clear vision past the glass to the skies. I rise again like I do every day and it feels special, like new. The Sun brings me rays of hope and my aspirations climb heights anew.

I wonder sometimes how free my mind is to be not held in chains, and flutter and shine like this bird, far from inflicted pains. I sniff liberty in the air. I sniff the independence. I sniff this reality of freedom today, which we once dreamt of and won the right to live. Eyes were red with sleepless nights and the skin with lathi blows and yet standing under the scorching sun, thousands of dreams fought together to break through lead sealed fates. The life we live today is a gift we have received from our predecessors who stand in heaven watching their dreams come true. The dream that they saw with open eyes then, we live it today.

The dream of independence, the dream of free movement, speech, work, the dream of a free life. The dream of not being controlled, the dream of not being enslaved. We think our thoughts today, we act as we please, we speak out our minds without any horrors to deal with. After the infinite struggle of imprisoned lives that the people of Bharat had to live, born on the morning of the 15th of August, was India an independent nation with an identity of its own.

India has developed through stages from crawling to climbing. Time and blood flew fast, as the dirt that hid these dreams washed away, but at last, with its head held high, our motherland stands on her self-built heights through which she reaches higher forever. More than seven decades lapsed as India climbed through thicks and thins to high summits. It crawled and walked and then ran and now stands holding hands yet independent. Atmanirbhar it is as it teaches its citizens to be. The bird at my window looks at me puzzled, by what thoughts shine through my eyes. I listen to it flutter away, high into the skies. And my mind wakes up to another day when I could think and say and act, independent in every way!

Kriti Garg, XII-A, Sacred Heart Sr Sec School, Chandigarh