Independence Day - ‘What Independent India Means to Me’

This Sunday, 15 August, is India’s Independence Day, as well as the National Liberation Day of Korea. To celebrate this, we collaborated with Grade 10 student, Aarushi, and her initiative My Pen My Friend and invited TISB students to write an article on the subject of independence. As a result, the article ‘What Independent India Means to Me’, written by Dilan from Grade 10 was selected as a winner, and is featured in this week’s Spotlight. 

Celebrating the 75th year of Independence this year, brings me immense pride to pen down this article. The nation’s gratified patriotic sentiments portraying respect towards our valiant leaders who fought for our Independent India, is illustrated at the Red Fort each year on this day by hoisting our tricolour flag, followed by a parade and a galvanizing speech by the Prime Minister. But is our Independence only about this commemoration? No, for me Independent India is a safe and welcoming place where every individual has their own rights and can express their opinions and have a voice regardless of their sexuality, culture, religion, race or beliefs. It is a nation where an individual has freedom and can act according to their unconfined will.

According to me Independent India is a place where gallant women are empowered and are treated equally as men. Women don’t deserve haplessness, they deserve the same opportunities as men. Our generation of the 21st century should be an example of an egregious integrating and deferential community where women aren’t dominated by the orthodox society. Our independent nation should be a shielded place for women, where they can even walk in a dark solitude sombre night, without any fear of abuse or harm. Ignoring our hubris, promoting sisterhood should be our motto. ‘We can be the change’ just by changing our perspective to look at this ambrosial world.

Our Independence also gives us, all the wealthy educated people a choice to give the poor an opportunity to work and not starve, eventually strive to build a life for themselves. Hunger and homelessness is one of the biggest issues faced due to poverty in India, and it is in our hands to be generous enough to turn this wheel and not turn a deaf ear towards this crisis. It is unfortunate enough that they don’t have access to proper education due to their family’s low incomes, disrespecting them, and fooling them into one of our wicked selfish facades to draw more money from them just adds fuel to the fire. Our nation’s Independence is a symbol of our brotherhood, care and clemency for each other, and we must live by this. The Independence we gained is not only confined to us, but prevails for all living beings around us. For me, Independent India means having an open mindset and accepting and normalizing those who are physically disabled. Accepting those who made a choice to be whoever they want to be. They are not different. Our vision of not considering them as one of us needs to change. ‘Our conformist mentality needs to change!’ Our gender shouldn’t define us and neither should our colour.

Our freedom also gives us a choice to make this nation a place where we portray humanity and follow ahimsa, not only towards each other, but also show kindness towards animals. We can stop killing animals in rituals! We can stop hoarding them for monetary purposes to places where they can’t survive! We can stop abusing them physically! And we can finally start loving them and include them as a citizen too. Many animals are endangered due to our insolent hunting and poaching and can now become extinct. As a conscientious independent citizen, we must make the right use of our voice and democratic power as it is our responsibility to preserve our rare flora and fauna for our future generations as well.

Looking at this vibrant world full of hustle-bustle, from a teenager’s eye is a quagmire. Living in this modern Independent India, I think teenagers should be allowed to dream and pursue what they want. Pressurizing them to take an ideal mainstream career is something I repudiate. Adults must respect and trust their child’s life choices and individual decisions, as they know what's best for them.

Lastly I think as a teenager, having the freedom to express and learn is what Independence means to me. Living together as a one big family means Independence to me. To go to school without the fear of bullying, be it physical or cyber, means freedom for me. Nowadays, social media is a thriving platform with extensive information that can expose jejune kids to adult content. Preaching the right knowledge, being selfless to help each other in this heedless world and growing in a healthy environment, portraying benevolence means Independence to me.

After Independence we all got a clean slate, ‘Independence gave us the power to imagine and innovate’, now it’s our choice how do we want to paint it, like a joyful sky full of colours or a night full of darkness.

 – Dilan, Grade 10