As India observes yet another year of Independence, more people today than ever before question the very notion of freedom. What is that freedom that we celebrate as a nation? Is Independence Day reduced to the mere hoisting of the national flag and official observances? Do Indians actually enjoy the freedom to think independently; to speak their minds; to take a stand without fear? We would be in denial if we believe that we enjoy the above freedoms. Increasingly it is becoming difficult for free-thinking individuals to articulate their views without being shouted into silence and intimidated for daring to speak up. Democracy has given us the freedom to make informed choices about who we elect to parliament and state assemblies. But Democracy is not just about voting and elections. It is about personal rights and personal choices. Freedom means substantive claims, entitlements and options anchored in each individual. In a democracy Institutions are created to ensure that those rights are secured and that no majority can and should touch this zone of rights. These rights are the essential elements of a just social order.
Those who live in a Democracy and by its guiding principles can never jeopardise these rights without consequences. While India has given unto itself a Constitution that seeks to uphold the basic human rights of its citizens, the social hierarchies have remained untouched. India has failed to dismantle caste hierarchies. Dalits continue to suffer from the deep-seated caste prejudices from the upper classes even today. They bear the brunt of economic deprivations despite policies that seek to remove inequalities. Closer home, Meghalaya is not exactly a democratic paradise either. Here too the space for freedom of speech and expression is shrinking. We are at a point where freedom as envisaged by the Constitution is largely curtailed by lumpens. The idiom of political language is one of aggression and suppression of dissenting voices. There are attempts to push forward the agenda set out by a few and to bring about a complicit convergence of views by brushing aside the need for reasonable discussions and debates.
Meghalaya does not exactly clothe itself in glory insofar as its human development indices are concerned. The fact that so many children are born in 108 EMRI ambulances informs us that life for many is still nasty and brutish. In terms of governance Meghalaya is rock bottom. These are issues that merit discussion and need to be addressed before laying the foundation for future growth. Until then Independence is only a word and August 15 just another holiday.