Independent! Are we?

HOW INDEPENDENCE MATTERS TO TODAY’S YOUTH?

“We are not birds; not cage ensnares us: we are independent human beings with an independent will.”

                                                                                                                                    –Charlotte Bronte

           On 15^th August 1947, India had her “Tryst with Destiny”. An independent India was born. Her dwellers were finally liberalized. No other child would have to see the dark clouds of dominance. Every new-born would bask in the sunshine of freedom. In the words of our, the then Prime Minister, Pt. Jawaharlal Nehru- “Such a moment comes, which comes but rarely in history, when the world sleeps and India will awake to life and freedom.”

           And, after seven decades of having attained our long-sought independence, the question is- “Where are we?” For most of us youngsters, Independence Day has become just another holiday in the yearly calendar. The spirit of patriotism, which was imbibed from our forefathers, has fizzled out.

           Today’s youth have equipped themselves with their own version of independence- independence from parental guidance, independence from adherence to cultural values, independence from responsibilities, independence from showing manners. The term ‘independence’ no longer means the intrinsic freedom which our forefathers fought for and achieved. Our thoughts revolve around us only and we have degraded the notion of independence from national to a personal level.

           As Dink Cheney has rightfully said- “Those who don’t know the value of freedom tend to take it for granted because they have never felt the absence of it and have never struggled for true liberty.” Regretfully, this is the state of the youth of our nation. The same youth.  We have utterly misconstrued the magnanimous effort of our ancestors for us to breathe in a free country and exercise our rights.

           “With great freedom, comes great responsibility.” As the youth of the country, we must feel and act as the pulse of the nation. The feeling of patriotism must not wane with the passing years. Our beloved Hindustan was a glorified and dignified nation in the pre-British era because of its achievements which awed everyone. As scions of the revered race, we must strive to restore our lost glory. Thus, we the young Indians, have a tremendous responsibility to bear. Undoubtedly, we have made a lot of progress in the industrial and service sectors. But, India lives in her villages. So, the improvisation of villages and focus on rural developments will open a new arena of collective progress for a population of over 1 billion.

           Independence has been handed over to us by our ancestors. We no longer have to struggle for attaining it. At the same time, it is of prime importance that we do not let the ‘fire of patriotism’ burning inside us extinguish. We have to keep adding fuel to it. We have to take our country to the zenith of prosperity and global acknowledgment, from a developing country to a developed country. We are not truly free until the biasing of religious differences and casteism exist which hamper our progress and cripple our minds. The youth of today is the architect of the India of tomorrow.

“The two most valuable gifts that we can pass on to our coming generations are the roots of responsibility and the wings of true independence.”