Where the Wave of Freedom Has Not Reached

I-Day Special

 

Indian is celebrating the Independence Day with lots of pomp and show. It’s the day when India freed itself from the clutches of British rule. Having the feeling of freedom, I cannot hold back myself from exercising the freedom that I have got to express myself. At the same time I feel sorry for my ancestors who did not have this freedom. I and many of my companions are very fortunate that we were born in Free India. Our generation has not seen the struggles and sufferings that our forefathers underwent in order to obtain this freedom for us and whole of India. Since my childhood I have been listening to fiery and inspiring patriotic speeches recalling and recounting the freedom struggles of past. I have not lived in that period of struggle yet I am not stranger to all that. The narration of those struggles makes me proud and responsible to use my freedom.

This is how any ordinary Indian would feel on such occasions. But I feel slightly more than such feelings. The world sees India as Free Country, but a real patriot will not sit quietly and close his/her eyes from the ongoing struggles that Mother India still undergoes. There is still the pain of bondage, a more severe pain than it had during British rule. They were foreigners, not her own children. But mother India is tortured and ill-treated by her own sons and daughters. The readers may feel confused with my views. Let me explain it in a detailed way.

I have had experiences of being in many remote villages. And anyone who has lived or lives in far away villages would agree with what I am going to say. There are many villages where the people have not seen ray of electricity. There are many villages where there are no schools and other infrastructures. There are many villages where people are cut off from rest of the world during rainy season, because there are no proper roads and ways to reach the villages. There are still people dying of hunger, there are children dying of malnutrition and lack of proper medical facilities. There are still people exploited by a handful of powerful people, their basic rights are denied.

Same is the story of many of the cities which are well-developed and advanced. If you really want to see the reality of these big cities, you must go to the slums where millions of dreams are buried under the rags and dirty colonies. There are people who have no regard for human life. There is corruption, crimes.

On the other hand people are caught with corers rupees of corruption. Lots of money is lying in the Swiss bank as ‘Black Money’. The selfishness has crossed all boundaries. Hardly there is any politician who is sincere and corrupt free. Even government beaurocrats are indulged in the game of looting the innocent public. Recently one of the ministers in Uttar Pradesh gave official advice to the government officers ‘they could steal a little.’ What does that mean? Is India really free? After all this you still think Mother India will be happy that her children are free? I am worried.