Each Independence Day Is A Day of Awakening

Independence is slippery

“The price of Freedom is eternal vigilance,” said Thomas Jefferson, a beloved American President and the primary author of the Declaration of Independence. Independence is painfully difficult to acquire and easily slips out of hands under pressure, like wet soap. If so, how do you keep holding on to it?

A strong bulwark of Independence is the acceptance and incorporation of interdependence. Without the latter, independence will go through a process of slow disintegration, ultimately causing its collapse. Only eternal vigilance and ruthlessly analytical introspection will keep independence firmly anchored, with solid roots below and fruitful branches above.

The last election gave a glimpse of India’s ability to exercise judgment and freedom of opinion imparting a sense of joie de vivre to the whole world. Democracy pertains to its people, not a person or party.

We cannot forget the history of India’s fight for Independence and what led it to success. We ALL united as a single force of India with a collective goal of getting rid of self-serving outsiders. The term “outsiders” was applied only to the English people, with resounding messages not to hurt or hate them.

“Insiders” were all Indians irrespective of their geographical distribution, religion, gender, or language. They all were identified as children of Mother India. This message was uniformly disseminated, heard, and imbibed. Our seeming diversity melted into millions of masses of people fusing into one entity, all championing one goal.

Mahatma Gandhi who believed in a secular country was unanimously accepted as our political and spiritual leader. He was willingly joined by an army of distinguished leaders and scholars from across the spectrum. Interestingly, even Parsis who were comparatively of recent origin from Persia substantially reinforced our fight for freedom. They all envisioned one India, complex but cohesive and congruent. Our diversity instantaneously turned into unity! Success became a sure shot.

It would be a Himalayan mistake to forget that our strength is in our fusion of fractions.

“United we stand, divided we fall,” the English language taught us. “Sanghe shakti kalau yuge”  says a famous Bhagavad Gita quote. “Sangham sharanam gachhami,” said Lord Budhha.

Even the power of a great, wealthy country like the USA will drain away because of internal fractures. The lack of unity within India allowed foreign rule to take over the subcontinent – one cannot fault them. We stood tall when we assimilated a wide variety of religions, cultures, food, and the people who brought them. Let us not topple from being tall. It is tempting to do a cartwheel when we reach a peak but it is dangerous.

In India, we have come a long way. Not only have we made spectacular progress in the country, but our countrymen are trusted with the highest and most responsible positions at the global level. Our character shines everywhere because its base is deeply founded. We may be fighting with each other, but we also make sure to fight for a noble cause. Our security should lean on this inborn trait of ours rather than any other external, transient, factors that are easily won or lost.

Summing up, independence is our elementary right but we have to enjoy it in an elemental way.

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