<p class="bodytext">Greetings Mahatma Gandhiji, </p>.<p class="bodytext">First of all, I would like to thank you for all the efforts that you and all the other freedom fighters put in to make India an independent country so that children like us don’t have to see the British torturing people and stopping them from entering our favourite restaurants, wearing Indian clothes, walking freely on the road, and travelling to places we want to travel. </p>.<p class="bodytext">Can you also please tell me why salt was banned and how did you manage to get it removed? If I was there during your time, I would have supported you by eating salt made by you and walking with you in the Dandi March. I also have a few questions to ask you, such as do you celebrate your birthday, and what is your favourite food and colour? Do you play a sport, if yes, which one? My favourite book is ‘Diary of a Wimpy Kid’; which is your favourite book? </p>.<p class="bodytext">Would you like to join me in time travel and see how India has evolved over the last 78 years since Independence? I am sure you would love to see today’s Bengaluru and all the wonders of India. </p>.<p class="bodytext">Jai Hind. Jai Bharat! </p>.<p class="bodytext"><span class="bold">Ayaan Ahmed, 9 <br /></span>Bengaluru, Karnataka</p>.<p class="bodytext">-------------------------------------------------------------------</p>.<p>Dear Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose,</p>.<p>The following reflects on the life of a leader whose name echoes courage and defiance. The journey, from forgoing the Indian civil service to travelling across continents to find allies against British rule, was remarkable. The call of ‘Give me blood and I shall give you freedom’ still demonstrating a powerful ability to ignite patriotic fervour.</p>.<p>Though the Indian National Congress, the main instrument of Indian nationalism, praised your patriotism, it distanced itself from your tactics and ideology. Mahatma Gandhi, while recognising you as ‘Undoubtedly a patriot’, felt your methods were misguided. This divergence within the Independence movement highlights the complex struggle for freedom. Today, as India moves forward as an independent nation, your legacy remains a subject of great importance and inspiration, according to Raj Bhavan Haryana.</p>.<p>Your emphasis on communal harmony and unity across all sections of society, regardless of religion or caste, resonates strongly through India’s diversity. Your vision of a self-reliant India, free from poverty, illiteracy and diseases, continues to guide the nation’s aspiration for progress. Though your methods have been debated, your ultimate goal — the liberation and upliftment of India — remains a guiding principle.</p>.<p>With deepest respect and gratitude, a citizen of Independent India.</p>.<p><span class="bold"><strong>Keerthana L, 15</strong></span><br />Tumakuru, Karnataka</p>.<p>-------------------------------------------------------------------</p>.<p>Dear Bhagat Singh,</p>.<p>If I were given the chance to meet you, I would first fold my hands and thank you for the life I am able to live today. You chose the hardest path — not because you had to, but because you believed in something greater than yourself. You were barely in your twenties, yet you carried the weight of an entire nation’s hope on your shoulders.</p>.<p>Even today, your name is not just written in history books — it is whispered in classrooms, shouted in protests, and carried silently in the hearts of those who refuse to bow to injustice. The chains may have changed — from foreign rule to corruption, inequality, and ignorance — but your fearless spirit reminds us that nothing is impossible.</p>.<p>If you could see the youth of today, you would find many still trying — some raising voices against wrongs, some building the nation through knowledge and science, and some quietly spreading kindness where it is needed most. </p>.<p>Before our meeting ends, I would ask you how you stayed so calm when the world tried to break you. Your answer would be the torchlight that every generation needs to carry, as long as India’s flag flies in the wind.</p>.<p>With gratitude, respect, and a promise to keep your dream alive...</p>.<p>Yours sincerely,</p>.<p><span class="bold"><strong>Aishwarya S, 13 </strong></span><br />Shivamogga, Karnataka</p>
<p class="bodytext">Greetings Mahatma Gandhiji, </p>.<p class="bodytext">First of all, I would like to thank you for all the efforts that you and all the other freedom fighters put in to make India an independent country so that children like us don’t have to see the British torturing people and stopping them from entering our favourite restaurants, wearing Indian clothes, walking freely on the road, and travelling to places we want to travel. </p>.<p class="bodytext">Can you also please tell me why salt was banned and how did you manage to get it removed? If I was there during your time, I would have supported you by eating salt made by you and walking with you in the Dandi March. I also have a few questions to ask you, such as do you celebrate your birthday, and what is your favourite food and colour? Do you play a sport, if yes, which one? My favourite book is ‘Diary of a Wimpy Kid’; which is your favourite book? </p>.<p class="bodytext">Would you like to join me in time travel and see how India has evolved over the last 78 years since Independence? I am sure you would love to see today’s Bengaluru and all the wonders of India. </p>.<p class="bodytext">Jai Hind. Jai Bharat! </p>.<p class="bodytext"><span class="bold">Ayaan Ahmed, 9 <br /></span>Bengaluru, Karnataka</p>.<p class="bodytext">-------------------------------------------------------------------</p>.<p>Dear Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose,</p>.<p>The following reflects on the life of a leader whose name echoes courage and defiance. The journey, from forgoing the Indian civil service to travelling across continents to find allies against British rule, was remarkable. The call of ‘Give me blood and I shall give you freedom’ still demonstrating a powerful ability to ignite patriotic fervour.</p>.<p>Though the Indian National Congress, the main instrument of Indian nationalism, praised your patriotism, it distanced itself from your tactics and ideology. Mahatma Gandhi, while recognising you as ‘Undoubtedly a patriot’, felt your methods were misguided. This divergence within the Independence movement highlights the complex struggle for freedom. Today, as India moves forward as an independent nation, your legacy remains a subject of great importance and inspiration, according to Raj Bhavan Haryana.</p>.<p>Your emphasis on communal harmony and unity across all sections of society, regardless of religion or caste, resonates strongly through India’s diversity. Your vision of a self-reliant India, free from poverty, illiteracy and diseases, continues to guide the nation’s aspiration for progress. Though your methods have been debated, your ultimate goal — the liberation and upliftment of India — remains a guiding principle.</p>.<p>With deepest respect and gratitude, a citizen of Independent India.</p>.<p><span class="bold"><strong>Keerthana L, 15</strong></span><br />Tumakuru, Karnataka</p>.<p>-------------------------------------------------------------------</p>.<p>Dear Bhagat Singh,</p>.<p>If I were given the chance to meet you, I would first fold my hands and thank you for the life I am able to live today. You chose the hardest path — not because you had to, but because you believed in something greater than yourself. You were barely in your twenties, yet you carried the weight of an entire nation’s hope on your shoulders.</p>.<p>Even today, your name is not just written in history books — it is whispered in classrooms, shouted in protests, and carried silently in the hearts of those who refuse to bow to injustice. The chains may have changed — from foreign rule to corruption, inequality, and ignorance — but your fearless spirit reminds us that nothing is impossible.</p>.<p>If you could see the youth of today, you would find many still trying — some raising voices against wrongs, some building the nation through knowledge and science, and some quietly spreading kindness where it is needed most. </p>.<p>Before our meeting ends, I would ask you how you stayed so calm when the world tried to break you. Your answer would be the torchlight that every generation needs to carry, as long as India’s flag flies in the wind.</p>.<p>With gratitude, respect, and a promise to keep your dream alive...</p>.<p>Yours sincerely,</p>.<p><span class="bold"><strong>Aishwarya S, 13 </strong></span><br />Shivamogga, Karnataka</p>
