The Meaning of Freedom

As another day dawns, the birds chirp, the people awake… and a nation lazily awakens to an anniversary. And a very important one at that. Today is afterall the Independence Day. A day when we got freedom from the ‘tyrannical’ British rule of over 200 years. A day which symbolized the formation of a new nation. A day which brought hope in the eyes of so many people about a new life, a better life.


It was a day that was supposed to change the destiny of the nation forever. Each year on 15th August , people have celebrated it…initially as a remembrance of the end of a long struggle and as a tribute to the countless selfless martyrs…and later increasingly as an occasion to explicitly display one’s patriotic quotient.

Time and again a question has been raised about the relevance the day holds in the eyes of the modern generation. My grandparents were actually a part of the period and could relate to the events, the horror stories of the era, the change brought in the society post independence.

My parents were part of the immediate post-independence era. In that era, the wounds of the raj were still fresh and the national identity was worn and displayed with pride. They had parents, uncles, aunts and other acquaintances with whom they had a first person account to understand the independence struggle and its importance.

For my generation, the independence struggle was partly a lesson in the history textbook and partly a real life experience with the struggling nation of the pre-liberalization 80’s which suddenly transformed into an all encompassing modern India in 90’s. The definition of freedom and as we understand it today has very little to do with the actual history and is more about the capacity to do whatever one wants, freedom of movement and freedom of speech. The rights have taken the limelight but how we reached a stage where the rights were awarded to the citizens is conveniently pushed to a back burner.

And for the present generation, I think beyond the fact that it was a historical event that they are supposed to know through textbooks, it is a holiday in the country and patriotic songs and movies abound the media. Also it’s a dry day so the fun is confined to hanging out with friends.

I wonder where has the meaning of the original struggle been lost in these 64 years. What has independence come to become today? A means to segregate states based on language? A means for corrupt politicians and caste based politics to become a norm in society? Probably just a means to move around freely cursing and cussing on the streets and let the media do its job…of pseudo patriotism.

Why only on one day, why can’t we be patriotic everyday…and improve our interaction with all those around us. Try to enrich their lives. Stand up, speak up and try to bring a change. Independence has to be in a continuum. If you do not evolve and be proactive, you are liable to be chained in your views and thoughts…Go on think, act…and be independent. Happy Independence Day!