Freedom. What does it mean? Well, the word technically has two meanings. One, "The state of not being imprisoned or enslaved". We seemed to have achieved this and celebrate this year after year. The second meaning is "The power or right to act, speak or think as one wants". We can never achieve this fully because of obvious law and order problems that might creep up especially as far right to speak and act is concerned. Thinking is more of a personal prerogative. Then what is freedom? We celebrate our 67th Independence Day and still, the question lingers. What is freedom? The best answer that I have ever came across to this question is actually a poem by Rabindra Nath Tagore which starts with "Where the world is without fear and the head is held high". Anyone who has not read it should read it right now.
As a kid when I recited this poem in school I got a prize without fully knowing the what the poem meant. And as I have grown up I realize, the poem is still a dream. And till that happens we are not fully free. The old white masters left and the new brown ones took their place.
I am not trying to be a pessimist. We have made great progresses in all fields and are know as a global force. It is commendable and salute to all Indians who have worked hard to take India where it is. But, are we satisfied? Couldn't we have done much better? Answer is definitely yes, we could have done better. We blame the brown masters who took over after British left. Yes, they need to be blamed but there are many things for which onus is on us to be really free.
Think again. Are we really free? How many people you know who took up a career path because someone else told them to or forced them to? How many people did not marry the person they wanted to because they were forced not to? How many people studied things which did not inspire them but did because they had to? Reason given being societal pressures, family pressures, expectations of parents, divisions along umpteen lines like caste, religion etc. What do we then celebrate Independence for? Only, that we are now ruled by brown masters, society, religions and what not?
This is where we need to step up. We need to break these barriers. We need to be and feel Indians first before anything else. If nothing atleast the part where Rabindra Nath Tagore says in his poem "Where the world has not been broken up into fragments, By narrow domestic walls", can use a lot of help from all of us to realize that part atleast.
As a kid when I recited this poem in school I got a prize without fully knowing the what the poem meant. And as I have grown up I realize, the poem is still a dream. And till that happens we are not fully free. The old white masters left and the new brown ones took their place.
I am not trying to be a pessimist. We have made great progresses in all fields and are know as a global force. It is commendable and salute to all Indians who have worked hard to take India where it is. But, are we satisfied? Couldn't we have done much better? Answer is definitely yes, we could have done better. We blame the brown masters who took over after British left. Yes, they need to be blamed but there are many things for which onus is on us to be really free.
Think again. Are we really free? How many people you know who took up a career path because someone else told them to or forced them to? How many people did not marry the person they wanted to because they were forced not to? How many people studied things which did not inspire them but did because they had to? Reason given being societal pressures, family pressures, expectations of parents, divisions along umpteen lines like caste, religion etc. What do we then celebrate Independence for? Only, that we are now ruled by brown masters, society, religions and what not?
This is where we need to step up. We need to break these barriers. We need to be and feel Indians first before anything else. If nothing atleast the part where Rabindra Nath Tagore says in his poem "Where the world has not been broken up into fragments, By narrow domestic walls", can use a lot of help from all of us to realize that part atleast.
When these things happen, then we can be free. Take a step and encourage others. Do not just live. Inspire. And then when we celebrate that freedom, it would be so much sweeter. I would end with Tagore's line "Into that heaven of freedom, my Father, let my country awake."