Wednesday, August 15, 2007

Happy Independence Day..

"A moment comes, which comes but rarely in history, when we step from the old into the new, when an age ends, and when the soul of a nation, long suppressed, finds utterance. It is fitting that at this solemn moment we take the pledge of dedication to the service of India and her people..."...Nehru uttered these magical words with his baritone voice in the constituent assembly at the midnight hour 60 years ago. He couldnt have been more correct in his assessment. We as a nation were so oppressed for centuries that once we had a lent to our voices, we found utterance and took pledges; and in some ways did only that! For 60 years after Nehru delivered his inspirational speech in the parliament house, we took to speeches as if its a way of life :-)

"Respected Head Master, teachers and my dear friends, today we are celebrating the 60th Independence day of India. We got our independence through a non-violent struggle under the leadership of Mahatma Gandhi, Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru........" these would be the precise lines in which atleast a few thousand high school kids would be addressing their school assemblies today.

"Mahatma Gandhi said that he will regard India to be truly independent only when women of India gather enough courage to walk freely on the streets @ 2 in the night", a woman chief guest @ a Govt Office.

"Jai Jawan Jai Kisan...Garibi Hataao,Bekaari Mitaao..." political leaders at innumerable functions across the length and breadth of the country.

Considering that Communist China doesnt celebrate its independence day with the same zest as we do, today would be a unique day in the history of mankind! Maximum number of speeches delivered in a country in a single day!! Every lane and every office would have reverberated today with grand patriotic speeches customized out of a handful of templates. It is so very easy, predictable and boring - the independence day celebration; you know what you are going to hear! :-)

Speeches apart, I am proud of my country. India mesmerizes me more than anything else..more on this in the next one :-)

Happy Independence Day!!

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