TRIBUTE TO MY NATION
It's 15th of August again, our 80th independence day this year. This is a day which special for all of us 1.4 billion Indians who speak a myriad of languages and follow a plethora of cultures but strive together in a democratic spirit as we continue to traverse on the path of building our nation. Winston Churchill had remarked that India couldn't stay united if we were an independent country, but we have survived eighty years with our incredible civilization of several millennia and our incredible diversity.
Today is a day when we feel optimistic as we look at our trajectory of growth from being an impoverished but a free nation in 1947 to one of the world's fastest growing major economies and the sixth largest economy today. It is also a day when we honour and remember the sacrifice of thousands of people who laid down their lives so that we could be free in our nation. The tri-colour fluttering against the blue sky instills a feeling of indescribable pride of being an Indian while listening to the national anthem describing our nation in all her glory.
This is also perhaps a day to address what it feels to be an Indian today. Our freedom fighters had done their supreme sacrifice so that we could be ourselves living in our nation. In my personal viewpoint, being an Indian means being part of one of the world's most ancient civilizations, being a citizen of a land of such incredible geographical diversity and above all being a part of the world's largest democracy with people conversing in over 625 languages. To be an Indian is to have a futuristic insight as we move on with the twenty first century and get inspired from our history, our philosophy of inclusivity and the tragedies on our struggle for freedom. Freedom came at a cost and so many of our freedom fighters who became martyrs have not been mentioned in the footfalls of our history, conspicuously designed to suit a narrative. As we cherish this independence today, let us strive to be worthy heirs of the sacrifice of all the stalwarts who came before us.
Every nation has their follies and issues which often demand a critique from its citizens but his incredible day is also to celebrate and rejoice at the beauty of our nation, both in terms of natural history and architecture. As a tribute to my nation, I'm sharing the paltry amount of beauty which I have witnessed within her boundless borders.
As we witness the beauty of our nation, this is also a day to remember the partition of our nation into three different parts, thereby estranging families and derailing the lives of millions. It was a tragedy on a colossal scale and as we admire at the beauty of our nation and bask in her achievements, let us pause for a moment to honour the memory of everyone swept away by the tragedy of partition.
Drawing inspiration from our history, cherishing our nature and remembering all the sacrifices while charting the twenty-first century and moving ahead is what it means to truly be an Indian today. Here's to more glorious achievements in the future. Let us strive to keep our nation's head high as the mighty Mt. Khangchendzonga and achieve the depths of knowledge of Nalanda.
JAI HIND!
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