Skip to main content

A veteran’s apology to the young for failing to live up freedom movement pledges

By Prem Verma*

August 15, 1947 is a memorable day in the history of the British Empire since from that day onwards the sun started setting on the British Empire and India received its Independence from the clutches of the British. What dreams we had for the future! What aspirations were built up for a young nation, which could breathe free after being ruled by the British for over 190 years!
At last we were free to think for ourselves and chart our own course to adulthood. The Constitution that we gave ourselves talked of freedom, liberty, equality, equity, rights, etc. and we were no more subservient to a foreign master. We decided to build a secular socialist republic where equality and human rights were important elements of the future India we dreamt.
The first shock that we got was when in 1975 Indira Gandhi declared an Emergency and put the country under an autocratic dictatorship taking away the democracy that we had sworn to protect at all costs. Random arrests and putting all opposition in jails became an everyday affair under this Emergency and the country wondered how a young democratic nation so easily succumbed to the vagaries of a personal dictator.
The Jaya Prakash Narayan-led resistance succeeded in forcing Indira Gandhi to hold elections. The Emergency period was over.
Today, under the Modi regime ,we see another type of undeclared Emergency in which we are mute spectators to the destructive steps being planned by a single individual Narendra Modi as per his whims and desires. What kind of democratic set-up we are living in and how unknowingly we have reached this despicable position?
The government of today is not interested in hearing the voice of the people; they already assume and know what is good for us and this country. The Constitution has been treated as a mere piece of paper which can be thrown away since our PM only knows what is good for this nation.
We are living in dark ages where democratic traditions have been buried so deep that people have forgotten what democracy is all about. Dissent is punished by non-bailable prison and the Courts look the other way when our human rights are trampled upon. 
In 1947 when I was six, we received a country of endless dreams. In 2020, at 79, we are leaving a nation totally in tatters. Who else but we are responsible for this? 
What Modi thinks is right; the rest does not matter. We are forced to live in an undeclared dictatorship, and the so-called success belongs only to those who support the government. The population in this subverted democracy has only on right – the right to vote for Modi. God forbid if you vote for someone else.
From 1947 to 2020 – a span of 73 years – where have we come to? How did we get here? Is worse still to come? Let us not fool ourselves that we are world’s largest democracy. We are in reality what we are – a nation of ‘yes’ individuals ready to bow down to an unscrupulous dictator who constantly is worried about how more power can be taken, so that all the followers sing his praise. If does not matter if people go hungry; they should be happy on doles distributed with no guarantee of continued employment.
The night is pitch dark and there does not seem that the sun will ever come out.
In this situation all we can do is to keep on fighting the powers-that-be to regain our real independence and freedom. 
Prisons should be our comfortable homes, and another independence movement has to be launched to get rid of the current malaise, which seeks to make a diversely rich India into nation of similar dress, language, religion, taste, etc., thus wiping out our rich cross cultural heritage. We have to go back, wipe our current slate clean, and restart our journey towards what we dreamt in 1947.
I apologise to the coming generation for the mess we have created. In 1947 when I was six years old, we received a country of endless dreams. In 2020, at the age of 79, we are leaving a nation totally in tatters, and who else but we are responsible for this?
---
*With Jharkhand Nagrik Prayas

Comments

john cena56 said…
Hahaha, your ideology will go extinct soon, like most of youare gonna soon be. Oldies with their coward mentality are a burden tbh. We will restore India to its full glory.

TRENDING

'Very low rung in quality ladder': Critique of ICMR study on 'sudden deaths' post-2021

By Bhaskaran Raman*  Since about mid-2021, a new phenomenon of extreme concern has been observed throughout the world, including India : unexplained sudden deaths of seemingly healthy and active people, especially youngsters. In the recently concluded Navratri garba celebrations, an unprecedented number of young persons succumbed to heart attack deaths. After a long delay, ICMR (Indian Council for Medical Research) has finally has published a case-control study on sudden deaths among Indians of age 18-45.

Savarkar in Ahmedabad 'declared' two-nation theory in 1937, Jinnah followed 3 years later

By Our Representative One of the top freedom fighters whom BJP and Prime Minister Narendra Modi revere the most, Vinayak Damodar Savarkar, was also a great supporter of the two nation theory for India, one for Hindus another for Muslims, claims a new expose on the man who is also known to be the original proponent of the concept of Hindutva.

Reject WHO's 'draconian' amendments on pandemic: Citizens to Union Health Minister

By Our Representative  Several concerned Indian citizens have written to the Union Health Minister to reject amendments to the International Health Regulations (IHR) of the World Health Organization (WHO) adopted during the 75th World Health Assembly (WHA75) in May 2022, apprehending this will make the signatories surrender their autonomy to the “unelected, unaccountable and the whimsical WHO in case of any future ‘pandemics’.”

A Hindu alternative to Valentine's Day? 'Shiv-Parvati was first love marriage in Universe'

By Rajiv Shah*   The other day, I was searching on Google a quote on Maha Shivratri which I wanted to send to someone, a confirmed Shiv Bhakt, quite close to me -- with an underlying message to act positively instead of being negative. On top of the search, I chanced upon an article in, imagine!, a Nashik Corporation site which offered me something very unusual. 

Swami Vivekananda's views on caste and sexuality were 'painfully' regressive

By Bhaskar Sur* Swami Vivekananda now belongs more to the modern Hindu mythology than reality. It makes a daunting job to discover the real human being who knew unemployment, humiliation of losing a teaching job for 'incompetence', longed in vain for the bliss of a happy conjugal life only to suffer the consequent frustration.

Buddhist shrines were 'massively destroyed' by Brahmanical rulers: Historian DN Jha

Nalanda mahavihara By Our Representative Prominent historian DN Jha, an expert in India's ancient and medieval past, in his new book , "Against the Grain: Notes on Identity, Intolerance and History", in a sharp critique of "Hindutva ideologues", who look at the ancient period of Indian history as "a golden age marked by social harmony, devoid of any religious violence", has said, "Demolition and desecration of rival religious establishments, and the appropriation of their idols, was not uncommon in India before the advent of Islam".

Union Health Ministry, FSSAI 'fail to respond' to NHRC directive on packaged food

By Our Representative  The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has expressed deep concern over the adverse health effects caused by packaged foods high in salt, sugar, and saturated fats. Recognizing it as a violation of the Right to Life and Right to Health of Indian citizens, the quasi-judicial body called for a response from the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) regarding its selection of front-of-pack labels aimed at providing consumers with information to make healthier choices.

Why is electricity tariff going up in India? Who is the beneficiary? A random reflection

By Thomas Franco*  Union Ministry of Power has used its power under Section 11 of the Electricity Act, 2003 to force States to import coal which has led to an increase in the cost of electricity production and every consumer is paying a higher tariff. In India, almost everybody from farmers to MSMEs are consumers of electricity.

SC 'appears to foster' culture of secrecy, does not seek electoral bond details from SBI

By Rosamma Thomas*  In its order of November 2, 2023 on the case of Association for Democratic Reforms vs Union of India contesting constitutional validity of electoral bonds, the Supreme Court directed all political parties to give particulars of the bonds received by them in sealed covers to the Election Commission of India. SC sought that information be updated until September 2023. 

Bihar rural women entrepreneurs witness 50% surge in awareness about renewal energy

By Mignonne Dsouza*  An endline survey conducted under the Bolega Bihar initiative revealed a significant increase in awareness of renewable energy among women, rising from 25% to 76% in Nalanda and Gaya. Renu Kumari, a 34-year-old entrepreneur from Nalanda, Bihar, operates a village eatery that serves as the primary source of income for her family, including her husband and five children. However, a significant portion of her profits was being directed toward covering monthly electricity expenses that usually reach Rs 2,000.