By Shahnoor Rahman,
“At the stroke of the midnight hour, when the world sleeps, India will awake to life and freedom. A moment comes, which comes but rarely in history, when we step out from the old to the new…India discovers herself again.” Jawaharlal Nehru.
India is celebrating her 67th Independence Day today. Independence had been and always cherished dream for any country, people or individual.
After more than two hundred years of British rule, India finally won back its freedom on 15 August, 1947. All the patriotic hearts rejoiced at seeing India becoming a sovereign nation at the triumph of hundreds and thousands of martyred souls.
It was a birth of a new nation and a new beginning. The only fact that marred the happiness of
fruits by the blood of martyrs was the fact that the country was divided into India and Pakistan and the violent communal riots took away lakhs of lives. It was on the eve of 15 of August, 1947 that Indian tricolor flag was unfurled by Jawaharlal Nehru, the first Prime Minister of India, on the ramparts the Red Fort, Delhi.
India gained its independence on August 15, 1947 but not without paying a heavy price. Partition was done and a separate state for the Muslims was formed, with Muhammad Ali Jinnah being sworn in as Pakistan’s first Governor General in Karachi.
On the midnight of August 15, 1947 India was declared an independent country with Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru sworn in as the prime minister. The official ceremony took place in Delhi. Great leaders and freedom fighters like Mahatma Gandhi, Abul Kalam Azad, BR Ambedkar and Master Tara Singh are few of the many to whom India owes its freedom.
The day is celebrated to commemorate the birth of the world’s biggest democracy as a national holiday. Kite-flying has also become a tradition on this day and people can be seen flying numerous kites of all colors, sizes and shapes symbolizing the freedom.
Independence Day is celebrated throughout India and every corner of the country on 15th August every year. Independence Day is celebrated by every citizen of India irrespective of caste, creed and religion. It is amazing to see how apart from the normal government offices and educational institutions the day is celebrated even in small colonies and associations.
There are costume parties and people, old or young, men or women, dress up in the nationalistic way. Many documentaries aired and grave of martyrs are paid respect. Every citizen does something or the other to mark this day of freedom. Media is not far behind as most of the channels telecast latest or classic films based on the independence theme Also, there are patriotic programs that are organized and broadcasted. In short, every person in
the country revels in the nationalistic pride.
Freedom fighters had been dreaming for an India which would be fully independent with freedom from everything which restricts tasting of fruit of independence by all people of India irrespective of caste, religion, socioeconomic status, regions etc. 67 years has gone since independence, but are people of India really independent? Has the independence reached to all people of india? What are factors which are putting restrictions on systems of Indian administrations to make independence enjoyable to all?
Indeed India has achieved so many milestones in education, science & technology, literature etc. But it is found that there has been a major sections of population who are grossly unaffected from these milestones.
The culprit for this is poverty, illiteracy, communalism corruption, riots violence etc. A huge proportion of people still dreams to fulfill their fundamental needs, how will they dare to think spheres beyond that?
If major sections of her citizens gets limited to fulfillment of fundamental needs only, how will they contribute for peace, progress and development of India? It is seen that there arises some gap between framing, implementing and monitoring of all welfare programmes of India targeting alleviation of poverty, unemployment, illiteracy, diseases etc.
That gap is called corruption, which is illegally benefiting middle class opportunistic people, dishonest politicians and administrators etc. Till India will be corruption free benefit of welfare programmes will not fully go to poor people for whom they were meant. Anti-corruption movement led by Anna Hazare, Arbind kejriwal etc are really praiseworthy in this regard.
Unemployed youths are resorting to do antisocial works. Education in
professional courses are increasingly become inaccessible to poor citizens of India. So, it is high time that government must provide facilities to people of India so that fruit of
independence reaches to every citizens of India.
Let us work hard to contribute best for peace, progress and development of India. Let us we give the opportunity of independence enjoyable to each and every citizens of India. Let us united fight against the factors which restricts independence from reaching to all citizens of India. Let us we stand by the values of sacrifices of freedom fighters. Let us we pledge to maintain democratic secular socialistic nature of republic of mother India.
A happy Independence Day!
(By Shahnoor Rahman is a final year medical student at Gauhati Medical College.)