72 years back, this day we won a great fight, rather struggle at the end of a movement which lasted for decades. From the Indian mutiny of 1857, it took us 90 years to get to that dream called Independence.
There were many heroes who lead us from front. Bhagat Singh, Rajguru, Chandrasekhar Azad, Lala Lajpat Rai Bipin Chandra Pal Bal Gangadhar Tilak, Jhansi Rani, Sahodaran Ayyappan and numerous nameless, faceless , unrecognised and unrewarded souls. All they wanted was freedom from the Britishers and their atrocities. They looked at themselves as crusaders of Indipendence not as Hindu, Muslim, Sikh, Christians, Buddists, Jains or anything else.
There was no country called India then, what we had were 400+ princely states. Slowly we started coming together and under a great, inarguably the greatest leader in the world called Mohandas (not mohanlal) Karamchand Gandhi, the movement gained momentum and finally we the Britishers were forced to leave the country on 15th August 1947.
It took some more time for India as a country to and emerge and take shape in to what we see as a country today. The role of Jawaharlal Nehru and Saedar Patel in this cannot be forgotten.
Parellelly a document which is revered by all of as the Indian Constitution was being created. Dr. BR Ambedkar was championing the cause.
People who were against a diverse, secular, tolerent India were present even then and they started pushing their vicious agenda by assassinating Gandhiji. He was shot at point blank range by a man namedNathuram Vinayak Godse, who to our surprise, has lot of fans and followers today!
From a poor country, where a vast majority of people lived poor, if we have come to be recognised as a world power, the seventh largest economy and a leading space power, it has taken a lot of effort during the past 72 years.
This has not happened overnight. Every Government of the largest democracy has played its part. Some of them did really well, some little less.
Today we are standing at a historic juncture. People who had no role in the freedom movement, who stood with the Britishers, who openly denied to take part in the movent, have power now.
With the latest developments in Jammu & Kashmir we learn that the same Independence and the constitution that we made; that gave us Freedom of Expression, Right to free movement, Right for information is all being curbed. Not that this has not happened before, but then whoever dis this, had the courge to declare it as 'emergency'.
Elsewhere we are witnessing deteroriation of our democratic values. We have become Hindus, Muslims, Christians and Sikhs more than Indians. The point where the common hindu of this country thinks that lynchings, killings, dalit/adivasi/ minority oppression, othering of questioning voices are all fine in the name of photo shopped development, is where the worry lies.
Unity in diversity is our strength. Finding diversity in unity is too much a payoff for the so called development. Hope is good, but a hope that has nothing do do with performance is foolishness.
It is time to reclaim our India, one that our forefathers lost their lives for, and claimed from Britishers, the Sovereign, Secular, Socialist Democratic Republic.
Happy Indipendence day!
Jai Hind!
