Independence Day : Thoughts and Reflections

August 15, 2008

Our Senior Editor, Saurabh Deb  expresses himself on Independence Day

I wakeup to find the sun pour down the window pane. It had rained torrentially in the week-gone by, the nights remained cold and the sun largely elusive. The change is cordially welcome and lifts the heart instantly. . I can’t help wonder, if the human heart responds to such small momentary joys with such delight, how must it have pounded within the people who decades ago on this very same day, witnessed the tricolour move up the pole and majestically announce the re-birth of a nation that is perhaps just as old as the human civilization itself

What must it have meant to people who stood watching history been made that day? What dreams and aspiration must it have ignted in the minds of those watching? I pamper myself with the thought of how fortunate are we to be part of a generation that is witnessing India stride into the foremost league amongst nations in several arenas at a time. Six decades later we have a proven space technology, a glorious story of indigenous nuclear program, a thriving economy, a vastly respected Indian Diaspora across the globe and a talent pool of human resources just raring to go. Must this not be a golden age to be living in?

A small patch of fluffy clouds cover the sun, the mood dips a little, the pulse slips into a lower beat. A little impeded but the thought stream continues, now reflective on the present. The week gone by has been upsetting – I tell myself. What happened in JnK was not right. Quite a few wounded hearts and scarred minds, many brothers still not consoled, many eyes still wet from tears. It took ages to heel the wounds, and now it will take some more.

Come to think of it, the month has not been good either – I added. The nation was shamed by acts of the members of the Parliament caught trading money for changing their loyalty to ideologies.  As a newspaper rightly pointed – the ‘no confidence motion’ shook the confidence of the entire nation .The sheen on our pride of being the largest democracy – looks somewhat dull.

On second thoughts there has been many disturbing trends creeping up for sometime now. In very many more pockets of the nation ghettos are forming around proclaiming ourselves as distinct and different from others and hence demanding special privileges, quotas and rights with threats of violence. Diversity is welcome but that cannot be grounds of favoritism or biases.

The social fabric is strained too –I admit. . As more Indian billionaires are making up the global charts  many Indians still wake up every morning with uncertainity over the next meal. High net worth Indians venture out to own foreign sports club, while sections of our population orphaned and abandoned by its chosen leaders are left to feed on fodder to survive the onslaught of drought. Yearly famines and drought still regularly plague our towns and farmers still depend on rains to irrigate their lands.

The mind is suddenly agitated and anxious – stirred by a fear acting in the recesses of my sub-conscious.  I try consoling myself – all is good. The cloud patch covering the sun has grown darker by now. What can possibly be worrying me? I wonder. The country cannot be in any real threat – after all it has not been even a decade when we humbled the enemy on the Kargil heights.

It has been 10 years and things have much changed now – comes a steadied response to the dialogue. The victory in Kargil has fast receded from the memory of the nation and the price regretfully forgotten. In fact on the same day as ‘Vijay Divas ’ our cities came under attack. The enemy is now more dangerous than ever before. It is not confronted by our trained and gallant soldiers at the borders. It is amidst us – faceless and may even not be completely foreign. It will bring to test a greater grit and resolve from the entire nation to fight this war forced upon us. Every citizen is now a potential target. The peril is for real just as real as the mounting casualties of this proxy-war.

I try hard to find at least a silver lining – quick comes an incisive retort. How can we even be threatened of our freedom in today’s world, more so that we are a nation with nuclear deterrent put in place? The argument had merits but it was the force with which it had erupted in the defence that surprised me more. It seems I was genuinely disturbed! We are free now –and that is an unalterable truth in 21st century – I proclaimed – trying to gain quick grounds where my fear had receded.

But the sky was almost gloomy now, the ominous clouds promised to bring rain and more misery. The alter ego had resumed answering after a deliberating pause. We are free now – but we were once colonized. And in the time before that may be we were free too, though deeply divided and shattered as a society torn by political divides of princely states and plagued by social divides of caste-system. We fell to colonization because we were easily divided. At the time of independence, we had 562 princely states making the British India (now India, Pakistan and Bangladesh). Today we have 545 members in the Lok-sabha of India alone; each busy to carve out a section of the populace that will ensure their stay in power. The political scene is devoid of any national leader.Not one who could claim to evoke some degree respect from every part of our country. It is the age of caste, religion and sectarian politics –the interest of the nation as a whole has taken a back seat. I know history has an uncanny sense for repeating itself and as Marx said – once as tragedy then as a farce. Are not the signs ominous then?   I am left to counter.

I seem to struggle by myself, to recuperate from the after effects of a direct confrontation of my uncanny fear. Well, what can I do worrying about it anyway ? – I hear the fatalist pine.But there must be something I could do, I reply; unwilling to concede. Well may be I could write about what I feel. Yes, to begin with I can write about it, so some people can read  it and they too could write about what disturbs them. So more and even more could read and write and talk about their concerns. And still more could join till the grudging voices of the drawing room become hustles of the markets and town.

And how would that help?

It would – because when we hear about things that concern others, we think about it too. And then we talk about those a little more and perhaps even think about it little longer. And when we think long enough on issues we perceive as deeply disturbing, we find within ourselves a strength to act upon what we think needs to be done to rid the nation of those issues. This provides the impetus to act. That and perhaps that alone – helps and matters.
The sun has begun to shine through the clouds by now.

But is that not being too hopeful and idealistic? I enquire.

May be it is. And may be history is guiding me to be so hopeful. In 1947, as we emerged from two centuries of colonization there were a lot many people in the outside world who believed we wouldn’t last even a decade on our own. But that hardly mattered. What did matter was as a nation what did we believe and how did we goa bout acheiveing them. And the result is the promising India we live in today. There are problems now, as surely there were then; but all they mean is that current times warrant from us greater resolve and nationalism.

As for idealism: it is our national heritage. After all we hand-picked the best from the world to made our charter of dreams –the one we call Samvidhan. We pledged to strive to achieve the most egalitarian goals perceived by human civilization – of liberty and equality in the frameworks of democracy. Applying greatest care to try to ensure we uphold freedom of each and every kind. Encouraging the diversity we had in our people and yet aiming to remain unquestionably united.

And that we have succeeded in very many ways to this attempt is testimonial enough of the great resolve of this greater nation we call India. As long as every ‘I’ in India thinks about the India he lives in and dreams to live in; and works in every measure towards achieving it ; we would continue to shine through the darkest times. I make my humble attempt to this effort in these lines on this day. I hope so would you.

By this time the sun is shinning brightly  amongst the dark clouds. But the promise from the blue sky that abounds beyond those clouds  is that of  very good times to come.

Wishing you a very Happy independence day!

-Saurabh Deb