India: 60 Years of Independence

It was our 60th Independence Day! The speaker was a youth of about 20 years. I wondered the difference,Was it that I was not in my country? Or the speaker was concentrating more on his chewing gum than speech? Or was that the sensation of ancient patriotism lost with time?

Time has changed, people have changed, and India too has changed. Where, old Indians speakers were full of patriotism, now seemed speech a formality. People followed conscientiously every word, and tracked themselves to free India out of British clutches. And today, youngsters were with their girlfriends and boyfriends, and the speaker himself was confused with his words and chewing gum.

Time took me back to those years, where my father used to tell tales of his father who saw the real “Independence Time”. My grandfather told him the real time of struggle, the enthusiasm, the devotion, the secularism, the passion, the love of country! My father told me the time of independence, the dream coming true, the joy, the celebration, and the freedom, the free India! I wondered what I should tell my children about India of my time. Where people sacrificed their lives, drenched blood to save the honor of “Tricolor” now was on sale on streets for some amount of money. Where cigarette was a “sin” in those days in front of elders, now a guy beside his girlfriend shouts at parents inside his car that he would be late tonight after the discotheque or would come home tomorrow. And yes, the speaker munches gum!

They ripped thy honor apart,
Bounded in chains, thy innocuous soul,
Thy terrain drenched in blood,tortured heart!
Sadists continually then tortured thy soul!

Thy children then arose, inferno deep within rose,
Gallantly then moved for thy safety,
Sacrificed lives with laugh, did never remorse!
Thy children drained sadists’ guts valiantly!

Thy sons laughed off bullets on chests….
Laughed whilst dying for you,
And amidst echoes of viciousness,
Thy children brought freedom for you!

Basis of our independence, our liberty,
Grateful to thy children, we revere them!
Sacrificed for thee, died for our prosperity,
Our gratis future, we salute them!

Thy name, we promise to shine,
Thy honor, we promise to excel,
Oh our motherland, India, our lifeline,
We assure thee, prospect to be all well!