As the day dawned not-so-bright and cloudy, I looked out of my balcony to see if anything was new. It all looked the same: same streets, same rain, same people and the same life. Somehow I thought the feeling would have been different. Why? Today is 15th August- India’s Independence Day. And today, we celebrate our 63rd year of freedom. And maybe I had assumed that the feeling of being free would hit me in the face, as though a mighty wave of liberty would break upon my balcony and drench me in a feeling so overwhelming, it would be impossible to ignore. I thought that the birds would fly from every direction proclaiming the news that India was finally free.
But we’ve been free for 63 full years. How much of that time has truly affected us? Can we even tell the difference? Does it matter to us that there were millions of people who had struggled with their lives and their beings to grant us this day today?
Somehow, we are never satisfied. Inspite of all the things that our nation has achieved, we still want more. We still choose to over-look all the great and glorious things that have happened and brood over the short comings.
I may not have been in the midst of the fight for freedom, so if you ask me I might not be able to compare India of then and now. I know that there are countless things that India is yet to tackle. Millions of problems that are yet to be solved. And hundreds of questions that have yet to be answered.
But sometimes I feel that if we’d rather focus on the progress India has made, I think we’ll realize that we’re much better off than we think we are.
And I’m not talking about big things that may or may not change the world. I’m talking about simple things that have undergone a transformation and we may not even realize it.
A month ago I remember visiting a few roadside children with a passion for studying, and who loved going to school. They never missed a single day. I know that people around the country complain that child labour is still rampant, but there has also been a tremendous rise in the number of school going children. Even if they have to work in the rest of the day, school is still a priority. You will meet a kid raggedly dressed who will come up to you and surprise you with a “how are you madam?” You will find kids on street corners and roadside stalls pouring over their books with an interest that was missing over a decade ago. This is change.
A couple of weeks back I visited the Baroda Cricket Association and I met a group of young girls who played cricket as a full time career, while some of them balanced school alongside it. This is a sport that was essentially termed as a “gentleman’s game” and today these girls not just play the sport but are good at it. They have played at various state and national levels, one of them even coaches a girls’ team, one of them was selected to attend a camp in Bangalore- the only girl from the city to be chosen, and many others who have achieved incredible success and fame through the game. These girls come from modest and conservative family backgrounds and to think of women playing cricket years back would have got a million tongues wagging in disapproval. This is change.
I think of the people around me whom I’ve gotten to know in the past year, and the list makes me proud. These are people who, at such a young age, have taken up the task of making the world better. Of using the limited resources that they possess and putting it to use for the good of mankind. I see them teaching children to read and write, I see them helping the old to make themselves independent and encouraging them to use their years of experience and wisdom to good use, I see them helping out the poor and downtrodden, enabling them to see a life they must have only dreamed about, I see them bringing the women out of their homes and engaging them in work that they love and excel at, I see them caring about this earth even more than our leaders do, taking up the responsibility of making the world a better, greener and cleaner place to live in. I’m proud of these people. I may not have joined the bandwagon yet, but I know that the work they do is exceptional and truly remarkable. You don’t need to have power or money or be a leader to make the country better, you simply need a heart. This is change.
I can think of so many things that make me feel that India has truly come a long way since gaining independence. We might be lagging behind in some areas, but I think we’ve done well so far. I’m proud of who we are as a nation, no matter what everyone says. Even though I may have not done anything to make India who she is, but I know that there are so many people who have given her this pride and beauty and I love them all.
Happy Independence Day, India!
my sentiments too!
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