Today is the 76th Independence day of India. And today we all are standing tall as proud Indians. This year it is even more special as it is Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav and there is Tiranga standing tall in every single house and all we could hear in the background is Lehra do, Lehra do.. Azadi ka parcham lehra do. Today let’s just recall the learnings that we got from our Tricolor and our Independence.
1. Never take your Independence for granted: Our freedom fighters have sacrificed so much. There are unsung heroes who lost everything in Partition. We have got this freedom after losing and sacrificing a lot. And we should never take it for granted. Let’s come together and always keep our Nation first. Independence came at a huge cost, let’s not take it for granted and waste the sacrifice that our ancestors did.
2. Stand tall and stay united: Being Indian is the most precious identity we all have. When we go out of our country we are known as Indians, when we meet other Indians outside India we aren’t bothered about which language they speak, which religion they belong to, which cast and identity they have, we feel at home, we feel familiar with them because they are Indians. That’s what our Independence gave us. So let’s stand tall as Indians and let’s stay United no matter what.
3. Our Nation is a holy place let’s keep it clean and sacred: Our Tricolor is so precious it is our identity. When people from other countries visit our country let them feel the same as what we feel in other developed countries. Let’s make them feel safe, clean, and valued. And for that we need to treat our entire country like a holy place, we need to keep it clean, we need to follow all the rules and we need to be proud of our country. The way we keep our home, we need to keep our country the same.
4. Peace, Patriotism, and Love for the country are not for one day: Har Ghar Tiranga says that our Tri-Color is forever. The peace in our country, Patriotism, and love for our nation is not for 15th August and 26th January only, it is for forever. Let us keep this patriotism for every day. Keep the peace alive in our society. Let's just not hurt the sentiments of other religions, let’s keep our spirits high and respect all.
5. Let’s not forget the scar that we have because of Partition let’s move towards making our Bharat, Akhand Bharat: Whenever I think about 15th August. I can’t stop myself from thinking about the Partition and the massacre that happened because of the same. When I read "Those 15 Days", written by Mr. Prashant Pole the entire Indian Freedom Struggle was clear in front of me, which was never taught us in schools. And the “Vibhajan Vibhishika” that we went through is something that our generation and coming generations must know. And for that, we all need to talk about it.
I remember Atal Bihari Vajpayee's words today :
“दिन दूर नहीं खंडित भारत कोपुन: अखंड बनाएँगे।
गिलगित से गारो पर्वत तक
आज़ादी पर्व मनाएँगे।।
उस स्वर्ण दिवस के लिए आज से
कमर कसें बलिदान करें।
जो पाया उसमें खो न जाएँ,
जो खोया उसका ध्यान करें।।”
We all need to keep this in our minds and work towards Akhand Bharat.
Today is the day where you not only express your patriotism but also take the responsibility of being a Good Indian Citizen. Understand the sacrifices of our Freedom Fighters and work towards making India a better place to live.
Happy 75th Independence Day to all of you…!
Niharika Pole Sarwate
