"Long years ago we made a tryst with destiny, and now the time comes when we will redeem our pledge, not wholly or in full measure, but very substantially. At the stroke of the midnight hour, when the world sleeps, India will awake to life and freedom. A moment comes, which comes but rarely in history, when we step out from the old to the new, when an age ends and when the soul of a nation, long suppressed, finds utterance .... We end today a period of ill fortune, andIndia discovers herself again.”
Jawaharlal Nehru, "Tryst with destiny" speech
Happy Independence Day to all my friends!!!
August 15…the day when India woke up to freedom back in 1947 was a day of great celebration. A country got rid of her foreign oppression and became a sovereign nation – the triumph of numerous martyred souls. It was a day of fulfillment…it was the day of a new beginning…a birth of a nation. On the stroke of midnight, our country was freed…brought back to life again as the British Raj handed over the rule to India and left for their own shores. The long and strenuous struggle had borne fruit at last, though the happiness was marred by the fact that the country was divided into India and Pakistan and the violent communal riots had left the countries permanently scarred. On the 15th of August, 1947, India became completely independent. Millions of hearts rejoiced when Jawaharlal Nehru, the first Prime Minister of India, unfurled the Indian tricolor on the ramparts the magnificent Red Fort, symbolically marking the end of the British colonial rule.
Today, our nation is in turmoil due to drought, epidemic swine flu, interstate arguments, naxalism, terrorism, and so on. Late and scanty monsoon has lead to severe droughts in various parts of the country. Last year in November, we faced one the worst terrorist attacks in the history, in Mumbai, a nightmare which gripped the whole nation for almost three days. The drama behind that nightmare still remains unrevealed. A lot of thinking need to be done on this single incident, which is a reminder of the clear and present danger to our country. Farmers are losing their crops and are on the verge of a mass suicide. The ruthless killings of the CPM people in Lalgarh…India is considered to be an emerging super power. The whole world is watching all the nasty political dramas staged here. Putting blames on each others at the time of a national crisis…ENOUGH!!! Today, when India is celebrating her 62nd Independence Day, numerous questions arise in my mind. Are we really independent???? Are we still safeguarding the freedom which our devoted forefathers…the brave and courageous martyrs gained for us?? Is the same spirit still burning brightly in the hearts of all the Indians??? And worst of all these questions which always comes back to me like a boomerang is “Am I doing my part of duty as a citizen of this country? I am not able to find answers for these questions. In his address to the nation at the Red Fort, Prime Minister, Dr. Manmohan Singh called for a new era of cooperation and harmony. It is not only the duty of the government to ensure the peace and harmony here, but it is also our duty as the citizens of India to come forward and lend your support to the government devoid of any political party, devoid of state boundaries…to stand united and pledge for the development of our country!!!
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