HAPPY INDEPENDENCE DAY
INDIA, our motherland. Once in a while this word invokes in us, a great sense of Patriotism..A sense of unity with all fellow citizens..A salute to our National flag..Proudly singing our National Anthem..Cheering for our motherland by shouting out Vande Mataram (or maybe by forwarding SMSs and mails which say so)..And remembering a few names who dies for the cause of freedom..
Soon after the day is over, all the enthusiasm is evaporated, all unity lost and the respect which should be given to the National Flag is forgotten. After the Independence Day parade has passed, most of the people who were waving the Flags (the paper, cloth or plastic made) will find no use for it. The easiest option at that moment is to throw it down and forget about it and go back with a satisfaction that "We are true Indians. We celebrated the Independence Day".
The National Flag which represents our Motherland is now the equal to the garbage on the streets. Is this the right place for the Flag to be? This is what, we as Sankalp volunteers have been asking for the past 4 years and will continue to do so till the day not a single Flag is found on the ground.
The schools and educational institutions every year organise Flag hoisting and cultural events for the day. But the students are not told what to do with the Flags they use during the celebration or the ones which are fallen on the roads/ground. Volunteers approached many schools from about 3 days prior to the Independence Day and told the students about these issues: the importance of the Independence Day, why should we respect the National Flag, what should be done with the Flags after they are used (they can be kept in books, in cupboards, in places where no one will have an opportunity to damage our national pride) and requested the teachers to help us by collecting the Flags and returning them to us if they could not preserve them.
On the day too, volunteers visited schools to spread the message. They were given the opportunity to express their feelings for the Motherland in the cultural programme organised for the volunteers, by the volunteers, to the volunteers (democracy)!! A few of them painted, a few sang, one of them made glue-free Flag and other paper crafts, and few more wrote what they felt. Then there was an end-to-end training for all volunteers regarding the how to organise a blood donation drive. A part of it was completed (regarding the drive itself, the requirements, precautions and other details), and the other part of it will be held soon (regarding the interaction with important people on the day of the drive).
The Freedom Fighters
It is just so difficult to speak of the people who have sacrificed their family, responsibilities and even their life.
It is just mind blowing, their feeling towards their Motherland.
Where have these people come from?
What made them take up the big responsibility of “Making their Motherland free”..These are people like us but it’s just that they realised their responsibility.
What will we speak of people who have sacrificed everything for their MOTHERLAND.
I’m ashamed of me not knowing much about all the freedom fighters of my country. But I seriously “SALUTE” for their sacrifice and struggle. Just think of the fire they had for getting freedom for their “MOTHERLAND” that they sacrificed everything, even their life..
Cant speak of those great people and their work in words...They can only be felt.
India-Past, present and Future
India, a nation of rich heritage and vast culture, is a home for billions of people. Indian history is a great source of events where people have gone through various troubles and emerged victorious by overcoming the troubles they faced. The Indian struggle for freedom started in the year 1857 with various ruling kingdoms fighting the British Government. As time passed by, there were various organisations formed and fought for an Independent India through their rightful path. The leaders suffered various types of pains, massacres happened infront of them, but they stuck to their goal of freeing India. When, there was a declaration that India would be freed, people’s joy had no limitations. The Golden moment for the Indian history was when Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru said, “At the stroke of midnight of August 14th 1947, when the world sleeps, India awakes to freedom”.
But after 61 years of freedom, the world’s largest democratic country is in shackles. The 61 years spent till now has been wasted for the greediness of most of unethical people. The resources have been wasted, people’s energy being driven to shallow pits. There is no respect for each other, a development of the Western Cultutre in the citizens draws no meaning to people’s lives.
The hard-work, efforts and blood of our freedom fighters have been wasted for 61 years for the selfish wishes of people. The rich is becoming richer, poor becoming poorer. The nation is headed in no direction. People do not understand the meaning of freedom, we do not know what we have to give to our Motherland.
We, the people of India, need to stand up to make our nation free from political, power-hungry and greedy people. We need to inculcate the right culture, right habits and create mysticism in our minds. We need to build India step by step, brick by brick and raise the crestfallen country to a position where our freedom fighters will be very proud of us. We have to fulfil their dreams. Every citizen of India should become responsible, instead of cribbing about the problems faced. Let us make our mother proud of her children.
Aye Watan....
Hum ko teri kasam
Teri raahon mein jaan tak luta jayenge
Phool kya cheez hai tere kadmon mein hum
Bhent apne saron ki chadha jayenge”…!
This is one of the songs which gives me a new meaning, new idea everytime I sing, everytime I hear to it.
I have always seen myself get so enthusiastic after watching the patriotic movies. I have always felt even I can do something good, something great for my country.
Always felt only the soldiers of our country do something for the country...wanted to be one from my childhood...never happened!!!
Reading about the freedom struggle in my class 10, listening to the various stories on Freedom struggle that my teachers used to tell, always left me thinking what would have I done if I was there during that time....always felt proud reading about them.
August 15th, 1947, we got our long awaited, long dreamt Independence. India, a free country. My idea of Independence, I have the freedom to do what I love to do.
Hmmm, got so many dreams, so many ideas, so much for my country. Hopefully I accomplish them.
Please share your experience
Expression of Feelings
We see a flower and a smile appears on our face, we see the Tiranga then we are filled with pride. And there are many more feelings which we express every moment of our life, through words, expressions, body language and deeds.
But sometimes (or rather I should say most of the times) we do not want to express our own feelings. When we are young, all of us talk about serving the Motherland and showing opur respect to her. But as we grow older, these feelings get lost in the midst of many new ones. And due to the loss of these feelings, we often fail to express them.
Twice or thrice in a year, we remember that there is a holiday marked on the calendar as a National Holiday. Everywhere on TV, Channels start broadcasting patriotic songs, and then people remember their nation. But then again think of what others think if they express their feelings.
Just yesterday, I said, I was at loss for what to do today and so were many others. So, Rajat sir gave me an illustration.
How did people express their feelings on the Independence Day in 1947? The person who used to sell water to the travellers did not charge for the water that day. And people from the surrounding had put out chairs and umbrellas for shade for travellers or people who came to Delhi to sit and rest. So, yes everyone put in their feelings for the country and expressed them in simple ways. I guess this essay made no sense to any of you but I could express this much.
On a chilly August 15th morning, three “Software Engineers” (as the society calls calls us) found enough time and reason to visit three schools. Schools and Engineers? Not B-schools or IITs, yes they were crazy enough to go to primary schools. And please, stop assuming, it was not to get an admission for their children, or neighbours’ and relatives’ children children, it was just to tell the beautiful young minds of the country how to respect the tricolour. The tiny tots, beautified and dressed up by their tireless mothers, were simply wonderful. Their eyes told that they loved the event and when the three “Engineers” spoke (actually only two, one was happily giggling and taking snaps and videos), the kids smiled, hearts and eyes filled with joy and pride, they promosed the “uncles” and “sirs” not to discard the flag after the event.
The question is will the message stay alive after the event? Were the engineers jobless/ were they mad? Only time will tell. They laughed after the event. Will it last till evening?