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. 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.
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 . I don’t want you to
bombard the streets with placards. I don’t want you to do the dharna. I just want to tell you that
doing such things doesn’t make you a good patriot. You are better one and you
deserve best. Picking up a sweet wrapper and throwing it into dustbin, asking
for a bill when you purchase any product: these are some basic things that you
can do. These are the things that you should do.
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.
Freedom isn’t free at all. It comes with the highest of
costs. The cost of blood. Blood of martyrs and fighters that were drained away.
And now after years of independence, we take our democracy for granted. We
often forget that it was leaders like Nehru and Patel who ensured that this
newly formed state may not get into the hands of any dictator. Their respect
for the democratic conventions and institutions ensured our democracy and we
need to sustain that. I just want to tell you that next time when you post a
page long article on social networking sites questioning about your fundamental
rights, do ensure that you may give a thought to your fundamental duties too. I
know that these things are not going to raise your CPI or SPI just like
inflation. I know that these things are not going to save your broken
relationship. But somehow it matters. I know it’s late. But you have heard the
saying. ‘Better late than never’. India has always mattered to you, to us and
to everyone. Its time when we could matter to her.
