Independence @ 60

"The ambition of the greatest man of our generation has been to wipe every tear from every eye. That may be beyond us, but as long as there are tears and suffering, so long our work will not be over"
                                                                                                                       -  Jawaharlal Nehru

63rd Independence Day...wow...we've gone a long way since the time we got independence!...But the question lingers...are we really independent?...Perhaps Yes,Perhaps Not...

       'Yes', when we don't have the time to care for thy neighbour in thy time of need; when we take law in our hands because we are "independent" enough to voice our opinion in whatever way we like; when we feel free to offer and accept bribes and then soothe our conscience believing that it's the system that is to be blamed; when we think the best way to secure an identity and be united is to fragment an existing state into several small partitions; when self-centered authorities given the task of glorifying the nation do just the opposite by indulging in blatant corruption, bringing disrepute and tarnishing its image on a global platform; when the easiest way out is to disassociate oneself from the macro-environment and say, "This nation's going to the dogs".

       Now the 'No' part - No, when a person from a different caste cannot enter an area or region belonging to a different caste; when someone from another state is treated as an outsider in a different state that is part of his own nation; no when marriage cannot happen beyond one's own caste, and in case, it does so happen, would lead to a mass hysteria among the "elders" of the caste to support and attempt to legalise heinous honour killings; no when communal rift leads to a curfew being enforced that prevents people from stepping out on the streets; no when self-induced inflation makes it impossible for the BPLs to earn two square meals a day but there is enough grain rotting in godowns for rats to have parties of magnitudes that could put IMTians to shame!;no when a united opposition whimsically holds a nationwide strike to oppose rising inflation only to handicap the common masses and put a bigger dent in their pockets than ever before.

     Wake up India!!...It's now or never...yes, you have made amazing progress in every field that comes to mind. But then, there's miles to travel before you sleep. Let's not let those unfathomable sacrifices of valiant sons of our soil who gifted us independence, which we tend to use so recklessly, go in vain. Let's put an unsurmountable price to their contribution and build an India of their dreams; an India of prosperity,equality,justice,harmony and above all, peace! Let this not be an Independence day which we treat as just another holiday, as one of the two rare occasions we remember those sacrifices.
                      Let's be a billion strong, than a billion weak!

Jai Hind!