Independence Day Special

You might have come across this video before. I am sure. It was all over the social media some time back. I guess it was this day, last year. This video titled 'I am 20' was made by the Films Division of India for the 20^th Independence Day. The lucky few born on the ‘stroke of the midnight hour’ (not quite literally) were selected and interviewed about their hopes, desires, expectations, fears and various other issues. Take a look if you haven’t seen this gem before.

Youtube link!

That was in 1967. Today is 2014. The question is raised by itself. Has anything really changed? Maybe the IQ and intellect of today’s generation has taken a dive but apart from that, India remains the same. They talk about poverty, the city being unsafe for women, corruption, education, college admissions, long queues, available opportunities, etc. Those are the very things that we talk about today. These people have the same dreams, same fears and frustratingly the same opinion about the current scenario in the country. Makes you feel time hasn’t really passed. India hasn’t really progressed. What really differentiates us from our peers from 47 years ago? The ‘Smartphone’ in your hand? Or the fact that a big chunk of today’s generation X,Y and Z have trouble comprehending the situation in the country because they are busy dancing to Yo Yo.  We have actually degraded rather than upgrading as the years have passed.

The stark contrast in the lives of the city youth and those in the village is almost exactly the same. Progress in terms of technology, industrialization clearly has not been able to decrease the deficit. The basic life of an Indian remains the same. If we have taken two steps forward, the rest of the world has too. The condition in rural India, sadly, also remains same.

Why do we celebrate this day? As very rightly said by our honorable president yesterday, freedom is a celebration, independence is a challenge. We have abused our freedom in every which way possible in the last 67 years. Those who fought at the time for it could not have imagined that this is where the country will be. “We have progressed. Even a child will grow without proper nutrients.” How the child grows is a different issue. But we still live on, move forward with the hope that the day to come would be better than the day before.

Don't get me wrong. It seems I am only looking at the negatives. On Independence Day I should remember how great our country is and I do. But the call of the hour is to wake up and make India shine more than ever before. And we have the manpower, the resources to make our country 'The country'.  

Like Mr. P.N.Subramanium, I too wish to travel the whole country and it will be a real achievement if I succeed. For covering the vastness that India is, one lifetime is not enough. It is very important to see what it is that you are being proud of, to get the experience firsthand. For it is only when you feel you belong to something, that you will live for it. Having lived in completely different parts of country (UP to Odisha to Bengal and now to Telangana) in the past 2-3 years I can say India truly is a great place.

Today is the day of patriotism. A day to remember those who gave their present for ours. Should we ignore the current situation and celebrate the independence? Or make use of this perfect time to take a pledge and start working on the short comings and make sure that a certain 20 year old proud Indian seeing the archive from 2014 in 2044 does not have to wonder if the country has made any progress in the last three decades. Remember,

                                 Tum Chalo Toh Hindustan Chale!  

Jai Hind!