It was 15th august 1947 and Pt. Nehru said, "Long years
ago we made a tryst with destiny, and now the time comes when we shall redeem
our pledge, not wholly or in full measure, but very substantially. At the
stroke of the midnight hour, when the world sleeps, India will awake to life
and freedom. A moment comes, which comes but rarely in history, when we step
out from the old to the new, when an age ends, and when the soul of a nation,
long suppressed, finds utterance......”
The memories of the 1st Independence Day may have faded, but the power
of that magical moment must never be forgotten. India became independent and it
was an effort of many nationalist leaders. Freedom gave us hope, independence
gave us courage, democracy gave us rights and responsibilities; nation-building
defined our charter.
India has always been great because of its diversity. You
can be a good Keralite, a good Muslim and a good Indian, all at once. And our
2004 electoral outcome was a great example of that diversity when the election
was won by a woman political leader of Italian origin (roman catholic phase)
Mrs. Sonia Gandhi who made a midway for a Sikh Mr. Manmohan Singh, to be sworn
in as prime minister by a Muslim, then President A.P.J Abdul kalam in a country
having 80% Hindu. A similar example was shown when our neighbor declared war
against us in 1972. Our chief of staff Sam manekshaw was a parsi and our
commander- in-chief of the Indian army's eastern command was Jagjit singh arora
, a Sikh along with major general JFR Jacob ,a Jew and then chief of the air
force was I.H. latif who was a Muslim . That's India.
We are what we are because we have the right to be who we are.
As Shashi tharoor says," If America is a melting pot, then to me India is
a thali, a collection of sumptuous dishes in different bowls. Each may not mix
with the next, but combine on your plate to produce a satisfying repast ".
For a long time America had its Latin
motto ' E Pluribus unum ' - out of many one . If India had a similar Latin
motto then it would be 'E Pluribus Pluribum' - out of many, many.
But still being so rich in ancient history and civilization
there are some loop holes and we have to work collectively to make India a
superpower of 21st century. India is not an underdeveloped country. As Shashi
tharoor says," India is not as people keep calling it an underdeveloped country,
but rather in the context of its history and cultural heritage, a highly
developed one in an advanced state of decay ". Our situation is just like half-filled
glass of water. For an optimist it is half-full and for pessimist it is half
empty .We can't pretend more that we don't have problems. We are having
problems and we have to uproot them from very core level. There is an
environment of dissent in our country and dissent is like Gurkha 'khukuri'
,once it emerges from its sheath it must draw blood before it can be put away
again . India is a developing country and we Indians have to be optimist. Grass
is always greener on the other side of the fence and now it’s time to make
grasses greener on our side of the fence. It will take time. Rome was not built
in a day. We will wait and so are waiting billions of Indian hearts full of wishes,
desires and patience.
#DontforgetGiveYourViews.
