WE, THE PEOPLE OF INDIA, having solemnly resolved…….!!!

There is something fundamentally wrong with the above line.
“We” should be “I” and “people" should be “citizen”.
A collective resolve is no one’s responsibility.
And this is where all civil society where the state is supposed to be a big “we” start to decimate.
India historically and religiously has been a country of individuals.
It is only when the property became for common good did we start denying our roles.

We Indians are too busy feeling good of our democracy and freedom.
Celebrations are for the state to handle, we would rather sleep late on a holiday.
After all, isn’t that what freedom is for?
India, rightly, known as a land of festivals could draw parallels to other Indian festivals!
Well! If you do something religiously for 63 years it’s bound to become a habit.
One tends to forget the significance, value, like age old religious festivals, it gets associated to your culture and routine.
Celebrating, any age old festival as every adult Indian would know, has a lot to do with responsibility as well.
We would clean our premises, update our records, bring in new stuff, devote time with the family, sit in front of the deities and remember our vows, and of course the paraphernalia of the younger lot, sweets, food and the celebrations.
We also make sure that on this day we do not leave the underprivileged unattended.
How it that, this festival of democracy has become a state sponsored festival, where only the state celebrates.
Here, we have the individual’s sleeping on this festive day and their oppressors (state) celebrating.
Well, the state surely has a very good reason to celebrate.

They have our property, (right to property was taken away in 1977) our money (taxation, at times has peaked 90% of our incomes), the basic right of justice,( a well crafted effort by the state is to delay justice, as good as denial) social (reservation of every vote worthy section of society) economic, (till very lately, there are still industries and other means of economic activities that only the state can practice) and political ( only the socialist can represent the people of India in the parliament) have all been infringed upon and the citizens are sleeping.
Isn’t that a great reason to furl the tricolor on all state buildings and distribute sweets?

Freedom is individual.
The role of the state, which is formed by the representatives of these free individuals, is to protect their freedom. Not to increase its own size, citing that its citizens are not capable enough to think and act on their own.
We achieved freedom from oppressors.
Not to give it away to our own Frankenstein.
British like the Gabbar of Sholey, only wanted a handful of grains in exchange of the security of the people of Ramgarh.
That’s what this state is slowly up to.
Oh the poor are dying, so let’s have MNREGA
Oh the roads are terrible and so is the education system so let’s have a little more Cess.
And the farmers need subsidy and a waiver as well!
The planet is getting hot and thus we might need another Cess to take care of it.
Yeah! Ok, first we created Naxal’s, and now have to fight them, and perhaps we should give them a special package as well, little more of that doe please!
Oops! We won’t have enough water or electricity or we need to fight the terrorist and Pakistan also china!
We need all your money.
And by the way, the companies have not been doing much for the society so we will have a CSR bill passed shortly.
And are the individual citizens doing enough for the state, hmm! Some day we will have a “Jaziya” like Aurungzeb did to serve the royalty.
Oh, we did not find many sponsors to the CWG, so can we have more of your money!

Let’s wake up people; we didn’t know that the British were oppressors till 1857, that too we realized the importance of the struggle only after a thin old, bald man made us realize the difference, in being a subject and a citizen.

By being a free citizen we imply that we are committed to the creation of a society based on principles of freedom and tolerance, every citizen has a responsibility that comes with freedom, to protect our own freedom and that of others.

Don’t we need to question the oppressors, why do we need to give all our money for Suresh Kalmadi’s and Omar Abdullah’s of this country, why Arjun Singh is not tried if we don’t have Anderson for 22000 deaths? And a million more questions!
Stop feeling good about everything that is taken for granted. It won’t last long; we have a responsibility to the coming generations, least we have to do is not just pat our backs but question the establishment.
Resentment and disagreement is the essential tool of our freedom and democracy.
Let’s get into the habit of practicing it. To practice freedom one should always have a choiceice and there should always be an alternative.
Do we have one today?
Are you free?

Just like our other festivals, the responsible have a job to do, clean up the place, with some incense and flowers remember the dead and chant that oath.
Freedom and independence is ours and ours alone
Happy Independence Day!






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