I am told India is celebrating her Independence Day today! It's
70th! Forgive me for the ignorance. As a patriot, I should have kept in
my mind that it's August 15 today. But in the true sense of the term, I
doubt whether we are a free country or not.
As somebody who is addicted to news, every time I try to keep myself abreast of what's happening all around the world, I bump into news pieces that perturb me. If Dalits are tortured for cow-skinning, minorities bear the brunt of their status, women are brutally treated, education scams in Bihar and Madhya Pradesh hit the headlines, law makers are either embroiled in corruption cases or make news for their foul tongues: And we are independent. The Censor Board till a while ago passed strictures that curbed the freedom of creative personalities.
As a resident of Kolkata, The City of Joy, I am warned against being too vocal because my stance might land me in trouble. The reason is simple: Autocracy still prevails and electoral support makes parties take to dictatorial means to assert their authority.
Now what should I do? As a friend suggested, "Stay silent! Get your job done and don't have an opinion on everything under The Sun." My friend is bang on. That's what I should do. But when a kin says, "Brother, could you pick me up? It's 9 pm and I am scared," I lament the fact that we are a free nation. She's a lady.
I get irritated, when a women at work place are victimised and thrown out of their jobs because they have dignity and follow principles. Just because they refuse to dance to the whims and fancies of their superiors, they are denigrated.
Is this what our freedom fighters envisaged? Perhaps not. But this is what we face every day. The author is part of the privileged lot. He's lucky he hasn't had to face the harshest of ordeals.
But what about those who die an untimely death or are pushed into facing atrocities that they don't deserve?
I would prefer hanging up right here.
Just give it a thought: Are we really independent?
As somebody who is addicted to news, every time I try to keep myself abreast of what's happening all around the world, I bump into news pieces that perturb me. If Dalits are tortured for cow-skinning, minorities bear the brunt of their status, women are brutally treated, education scams in Bihar and Madhya Pradesh hit the headlines, law makers are either embroiled in corruption cases or make news for their foul tongues: And we are independent. The Censor Board till a while ago passed strictures that curbed the freedom of creative personalities.
As a resident of Kolkata, The City of Joy, I am warned against being too vocal because my stance might land me in trouble. The reason is simple: Autocracy still prevails and electoral support makes parties take to dictatorial means to assert their authority.
Now what should I do? As a friend suggested, "Stay silent! Get your job done and don't have an opinion on everything under The Sun." My friend is bang on. That's what I should do. But when a kin says, "Brother, could you pick me up? It's 9 pm and I am scared," I lament the fact that we are a free nation. She's a lady.
I get irritated, when a women at work place are victimised and thrown out of their jobs because they have dignity and follow principles. Just because they refuse to dance to the whims and fancies of their superiors, they are denigrated.
Is this what our freedom fighters envisaged? Perhaps not. But this is what we face every day. The author is part of the privileged lot. He's lucky he hasn't had to face the harshest of ordeals.
But what about those who die an untimely death or are pushed into facing atrocities that they don't deserve?
I would prefer hanging up right here.
Just give it a thought: Are we really independent?
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