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I was all of seven on that first Independence Day … August 15th, 1947.
At 6.30am, while all of us were still tucked in bed, there was a loud knock on the door and a hearty shout of my dad’s voice … “Still sleeping all of you? Wake up!” There was such excitement as we all scampered out of bed, because my father had been far away in Jubbalpore, North India, since January. With great enthusiasm, he posted the Indian flags he had brought with him on the outer balcony of our house and began to explain the significance of that day. We were all so thrilled that he had come home.
Independence is an awesome thing, I thought… It can give my daddy the freedom to leave his office and come home whenever he likes.
A few days later, I remember standing idly at the same balcony and looking at the empty street in front of our house early in the morning. Suddenly there was a shout and I saw a man running with a knife which he stabbed into the back of another man who was trying to run away as fast as he could, but then fell down with a loud groan in the middle of the street. I called out to my mother to come and see what had happened … but she was very distressed and called back from inside telling me not to stand there; it wasn’t safe. In great fear, I quietly obeyed.*
Independence is an awful thing, I thought… It can give one man the freedom to kill another man.
The years teach us that freedom is that comfortable inner permission we feel within to cross boundaries and limits, and, even more, to merge horizons – to go beyond ourselves. This is a difficult task, but what is the value of social freedom from external oppressors, without inner freedom from the repressive-oppressive Ego?
So many questions remain, “Who sets the boundaries? What are the limits? Why are conventions so binding? Whence comes fear? Where do horizons blend? When will this freedom be mine?”
Politically, we have reached the diamond age of wisdom and have successfully scaled so many external hurdles. The inner depths patiently await exploration. As our poet laureate, Tagore, so well prayed, and we pray again with him each August 15th: Into that haven of freedom, my father, let my country awake.
* Hindu-Muslim riots occurred in various parts of India following the Partition of British India at Independence into India and Pakistan. The father of the Nation, Gandhiji, prayed and fasted at the stroke of the midnight hour, Aug. 15th, 2007, while the newly-born India celebrated.
At 6.30am, while all of us were still tucked in bed, there was a loud knock on the door and a hearty shout of my dad’s voice … “Still sleeping all of you? Wake up!” There was such excitement as we all scampered out of bed, because my father had been far away in Jubbalpore, North India, since January. With great enthusiasm, he posted the Indian flags he had brought with him on the outer balcony of our house and began to explain the significance of that day. We were all so thrilled that he had come home.
Independence is an awesome thing, I thought… It can give my daddy the freedom to leave his office and come home whenever he likes.
A few days later, I remember standing idly at the same balcony and looking at the empty street in front of our house early in the morning. Suddenly there was a shout and I saw a man running with a knife which he stabbed into the back of another man who was trying to run away as fast as he could, but then fell down with a loud groan in the middle of the street. I called out to my mother to come and see what had happened … but she was very distressed and called back from inside telling me not to stand there; it wasn’t safe. In great fear, I quietly obeyed.*
Independence is an awful thing, I thought… It can give one man the freedom to kill another man.
The years teach us that freedom is that comfortable inner permission we feel within to cross boundaries and limits, and, even more, to merge horizons – to go beyond ourselves. This is a difficult task, but what is the value of social freedom from external oppressors, without inner freedom from the repressive-oppressive Ego?
So many questions remain, “Who sets the boundaries? What are the limits? Why are conventions so binding? Whence comes fear? Where do horizons blend? When will this freedom be mine?”
Politically, we have reached the diamond age of wisdom and have successfully scaled so many external hurdles. The inner depths patiently await exploration. As our poet laureate, Tagore, so well prayed, and we pray again with him each August 15th: Into that haven of freedom, my father, let my country awake.
* Hindu-Muslim riots occurred in various parts of India following the Partition of British India at Independence into India and Pakistan. The father of the Nation, Gandhiji, prayed and fasted at the stroke of the midnight hour, Aug. 15th, 2007, while the newly-born India celebrated.
India celebrates 60 years of Independence
“There were thrilling moments, tragic moments, and very many momentous events that made India”.
On the eve of August 15, 1947, millions of Indians huddle around the radio as it transmits their first PM’s historic proclamation: “Long years ago, we made a tryst with destiny, and now the time comes when we will redeem our pledge.”
Significant events that have made history during the past 60 years:
- India gets Independence – 15th August, 1947.
- The new neighbours go to war – India and Pakistan. It ends on December 31st, 1948, leaving 1500 soldiers dead on either side. Pakistan seizes a part of Kashmir.
- Mahatma Gandhi Assassinated – January 30th, 1948.
- India gets a Constitution – January 26th, 1950.
- Creation of Andhra Pradesh for Telugu speaking community – 1953. It was the first Indian state established on a linguistic basis.
- India China War – October 20th, 1962.
- Nehru dies and Lal Bahadur Shastri becomes the next Prime Minister
- 2nd India-Pakistan War – August 5,1965
- Shastri dies on January 11th,1966.and Indira Gandhi becomes the next Prime Minister.
- Green Revolution – 1967 to 1978 – from a nation on the verge of starvation to one with overflowing granaries
- Third India-Pakistan war for 15 days – Creation of a new country called Bangladesh
- Chipko movement – 1973- a group of villagers from Uttarkhand come up with the novel idea of hugging trees to protect them from contractors.
- Aryabhata takes off – India’s first satellite is launched on April 19, 1975.
- Emergency declared – June 1975 to March 1977 marks the darkest chapter in the history of democratic India.
- Asian Games held in India – 1982. Colour television makes its debut at the same time.
- Prudential Cup – India beat the West Indies to lift the cricket World Cup – 1983.
- Indian in Space – Rakesh Sharma, an Indian Air Force Pilot, becomes the 1st Indian to go to space – April 1984 –
- Indira Gandhi Assassinated – October 31st 1984 –
- Bhopal Gas Tragedy – The world’s worst industrial disaster happens in Bhopal – December 3rd, 1984 –
- Woman on Everest – On May 23rd, 1984, Bachendri Pal becomes the 1st Indian woman and the 5th in the world to scale the highest peak in the world.
- Prithvi Missile – India’s first indigenously developed ballistic missile, originally test fired in February 1988, incorporates propulsion technology.
- Mandal reservations (August 1990) – 27 % reservations for Backward classes in the govt. services was accepted by the govt. Protests broke out all through the country.
- Rajiv Gandhi is assassinated – May 21, 1991.
- Babri Masjid is demolished – December 6, 1992. Riots break out in various parts of the country.
- Aftershocks of Babri Masjid in Mumbai – a series of bomb blasts, killing at least 250 people – 1993.
- Cell phones being introduced in India – 1995.
- VSNL introduces us to the internet – August, 1995.
- Vajpayee takes the bus to Pakistan – February 1999.
- Kargil War - 1999
- Parliament is attacked – About 100 MPs are holed up inside when terrorists strike Parliament in December 2001.
- Godra Carnage- February 27, 2002 followed by riots in Gujarat.
- Manmohan Sigh becomes the Prime Minister – a very Promising leader– a turning point for the country
- Right to Information Act is passed – 2005.
- National Rural Employment Guarantee Act is passed – 2005 – a revolutionary act indeed for the unemployed poor.
- First Woman President – Pratibha Patil – July 25th 2007
It has been a long journey. But, given the complexities of our country, this is nothing but a very short trip. Every year is laced with hope and something more to learn. It is rightly said “freedom is not worth having if it does not include the freedom to make mistakes.” 2005- 2007 have been significant years for me, because I am just discovering the country’s potential under the present leadership. India won the struggle for freedom in spite of many problems and not in the absence of them. Our leaders refused to accept defeats… That’s our heritage. As William Jennings Bryan says: Destiny is not a matter of chance, it is a matter of choice; it is not a thing to be waited for, it is a thing to be achieved.” Jai Hind, Jai Bharat!
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