Many pledges yet to be redeemed

August 15 is the day we as a nation remember the dawn of freedom after centuries of foreign domination, and rededicate ourselves to the ideals of the freedom struggle. Two countries born together are three now, and each has traversed a different path. Freedom becomes real only when it is expressed in the spirit and through the forms of democracy. Judged by that standard, the idea of freedom has had a fitful life in our neighbourhood. Not only in these countries but also in our extended neighbourhood, democracy has suffered, and its institutions have taken serious knocks. A lot of the world is out of joint, and not many have the heart and will to set it right. The day of freedom is the day to pause and look within and around us.

Seventy-seven years after we were reminded of our tryst with destiny, many of the pledges we made are yet to be redeemed, and many of our dreams are yet to be realised. We have done better than our neighbours–we are stronger, wealthier, and more respected. But we are more polarised in society and politics than ever before, and the tryst with freedom has seen twists over the decades. There were some months when freedom was a suspended idea. We survived them. There are fresh challenges now. Some of the strongest and most stringent laws that impinge on freedom are in free use now, and the right to step out, stand away, and say no, which is the essence of the spirit of August 15, needs to be fortified. It was a covenant in the Constitution that we gave ourselves two years after the first Independence Day, and we need to remember it and commit ourselves to strengthening it on every anniversary.

The nation has progressed, and we have put in place a polity whose units are held together by a sense of nationhood and mutual dependence while retaining the diversity of Indianness. The idea of India is the sum total of the reality of the states, and that should be recalled on this day. We are given big numbers of national wealth, catchy slogans, and one-line promises and dreams. They are fine, and they have their value and use. But the freedom that we won will be meaningful only when we can wipe every tear from every eye. As Jawaharlal Nehru said, “…so long as there are tears and suffering, so long our work will not be over”. August 15 tells us not to forget those words of the first day.