Sunday 16 August 2015

Tryst With Destiny...

"Unless you are willing to pick up a Rifle and defend our country, I suggest you stop criticizing those who are , and be thankful for their sacrifice, whether you agree with it or not " - JohnaMcQuillan

Yesterday was India's 69th Independence Day….and 68 years of breathing in the air of free India seems to have lessened its importance in the minds and hearts of the modern Indian Youth.

The facebook walls and whatsapp groups were strongly dominated in some cases by some critical messages …of the so called “dissatisfied with the progress so far”…kind of messages voiced by many of my well educated well placed friends – many toiling here and atleast undergoing themselves, first hand -the bouts of the not so free India marred by all types of inequalities…and many working  abroad and filling the coffer of foreign countries, and still finding themselves rightful to say that we don’t feel like celebrating the day !

But of course-- we have freedom of speech and expression especially on social media private groups that entitles one and all to pass opinions whenever and wherever…without really subjecting themselves to what they themselves have done and are doing , and whether they have the guts to take their actions further on from just criticising those who have chosen the path of action , sacrifice and martyrdom.
Even the criticism for that matter is kind of veiled in the secrecy and privacy of being discussed only in selected friend groups --- pretty safe play at that !
And the biggest fad with some is to dig the personal past of some of our freedom leaders and take pleasure in pretending their intellect and half baked historical know- how of how well read I am on diverse topics ..and I am different and I can criticise a leader, for he worked more for personal gains or maybe because he indulged in family pleasures…does this make me famous !

So be it…due respect to all these self proclaimed modern stalwarts of what freedom means and what independence means and looking forward to some on-ground actions from many of them, other than populating their timelines….
Having said that and having agreed that indeed we have a long way to go and we fall short of our own expectations…does that in any way take away from the tremendous efforts and sacrifices that our freedom fighters and leaders had undertaken to free our motherland from the grips of British slavery….and does that reduce the sacrifice and pain of those families who selflessly allowed their family members to renounce all their social and family pleasures and duties, and dive deep into their resolve to free the country….
Do we have to block all other telecast in media on certain days and just show to this modern youth, patriotic movies and documentaries 24 by 7 to repeatedly remind them ---and make them understand what it was to walk like a slave in your own country and be kicked and insulted….on the roads by a foreign man!
For the sake of those who incessantly strived to win us this day- where we all have the luxury of indulging in these drawing room dicussions…I can only request that lets all please henceforth celebrate the day in full spirit because this is the day when India had awaken to life and freedom after hundreds of years of slavery from the British , and this was thanks to the sacrifices of more than thousands who laid down their lives….nothing can take away this symbolism of a great freedom movement that has shown the path of truth and peace to the whole world…
It should only strengthen one’s resolve to make things even better….and your walls should maybe resonate with what you plan to do to take your country further ahead...mere criticism is only damaging and misleading your children and future generation who will one day read your walls and timelines--- only to misunderstand the symbolic meaning of a great historic movement!

If you have to shed tears…shed it with respect for the Martyrs…

“Kuchh yaad unhe bhi kar lo ..Jo laut ke ghar naa aaye ! Kuchh yaad unhe bhi kar lo ..Jo laut ke ghar naa aaye”

Few more lines from the Great patriotic song by Kavi Pradeep...proudly summing the selfless feelings of our freedom fighters:
....
khush rehanaa desh ke pyaaron
ab hum to safar karte hain...ab hum to safar karte hain...
 
Proud to be an Indian...!
Jai Hind !!

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