Today, on the eve of India's Independence Day, it may be a good idea to give a thought to what India means to us. If we love this country, what is it that we love about it? What does India mean to us? Are we prepared to do what it means to be a good citizen of this country? Are we willing to do what really matters, beyond the posturing and beyond going through the motions of singing the national anthem, unfurling and saluting the flag?
This time around, don’t just buy a flag at the traffic intersection and plonk it on the dashboard and forget about it. Think about what our freedom fighters and first leaders of India meant for it to represent: the saffron for courage and strength, green for prosperity and white for peace; with the Ashok Chakra or the wheel of law representing striving and self-reliance.
Ours is a rich and ancient heritage that has seen conquerors of all types and hues, but still has endured. This is a good time to remember how British conolisation enslaved us in our own country and how the truly unique freedom movement based on truth and nonviolence laid low an imperial regime; the largest ever in history.
Foreign visitors are constantly amazed at the wealth of incredible monuments in India: the ancient cave sculpture, temples, mosques, stupas, the stunning palaces, forbidding forts, beautiful gardens! It is truly amazing how our ancestors managed to create these strong, stunning edifices using just the rudimentary technology they had at their disposal in the day.
Where on the one hand we have beautiful beaches, on the other we have forbidding high mountains. India is home to some of the hottest and driest of places and also those that receive the most rainfall. It has the world's highest motorable road, a magnetic hill, stunning waterfalls, awe inspiring rivers, the valley of flowers, living root bridges, salt marshes, caves, impenetrable jungles, backwaters… you name it!
Our traditional sculptors, weavers and artisans preserve many of our traditions; choosing to create things painstakingly by hand; much like generations before them. Thanks to the people who painstakingly preserve our traditional arts and crafts, we still use khadi and block printed cloth, still value our Madhubani paintings and wear traditional jooties made the old fashioned way!
Our classical music traditions are among the most advanced and complex bodies of music in the world. Many musical instruments were India's gift to the world. Our classical dances, with their colour, grace and aesthetic appeal have awed the world. Our folk music and dances have the diversity not seen anywhere else in the world. Now the soft power of India has spread the world over, via our music, dance and increasingly via Bollywood!
I can think of no country in the world that has the kind of religious, linguistic, regional diversity that India has. Our diversity is an essential quality and something that we must cherish and celebrate – because it is this diversity that is our strength; which represents the very idea of India.
India has given the world the gift of truth and nonviolence in a sense; thinkers and intellectuals the world over have been inspired by these values. Our freedom struggle was unique in its passive resistance and in the way that it used moral authority to overcome the brute force of our oppressors. Also unique to India is our spirit and our forbearance.
Yes it is not perfect but it works! It is hard-won and the more valuable for it! We enjoy rights and freedoms that many other countries simply do not. Let’s not take it all for granted this Independence Day. Instead, let us take a moment to celebrate all aspects of this utterly unique, chaotic, incomparable land of ours – Jai Hind!
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