Independence

Independence. It’s a common word being thrown around today. But what does it really mean? Is it being free from the tyranny of the British? Is it being your person? Is it being unrestrained and being able to do what you wish to do? And if yes, I have a question to ask you. Do you really believe that you have gained independence? Do you really believe that you belong to a free country?

Everyone seems to think that India is a free and independent country. And if you contrast India today to how India was 70 years back, it does appear to be free. But is it really independent of greed? Is it really independent of poverty? Is it really independent of cruelty?

We say that we are free of the British taking our money and livelihoods, but that greed has only been replaced by corrupt politicians. We say that people are living a good life now, but 22% of India’s population is poor. We say that cruelty is dead, but over 100 stray dogs were poisoned in Telangana a few years ago.

Is this really what independence looks like? I’d like to take this opportunity to redefine what Independence Day means to us.* Independence Day is the day on which we honor all those who came before us, and made India what it is today. Independence Day is the day on which we rejoice at our victory from the British, but remember that there is still a long way to go for us as a country. Independence day is the day on which we pledge to work our hardest to actually make India free and independent.

Since we are celebrating the 73rd independence day here, I’d like to answer one of the most common questions that a student has, and that is ‘Why should we study history?’ Well, I’d like to quote Martin Luther King Jr. here, ‘We are not makers of history. We are made by history.’ And the secrets that history reveals to us are the most precious pieces of information that a person can know because they have survived the test of time.

History stands witness to the fact that without unity and teamwork, no task can be completed successfully. India had been under the British starting from 1858, but before the 1920s, nothing that the Indians did made the British’s heart skip a beat even, but when the Indians came together, they established a stronghold* that had the British quaking in their boots.

So, if togetherness could make India a free country, imagine what we can do after coming together. So, as we watch our flag unfurl and rise, let us remember the extraordinary sacrifices made by those before us, and continue to silently contribute to the independence of a better and greater India.