By Uma Purkayastha
We are proud to celebrate ‘Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav’ on completing 75 years of Independence from the clutches of 200 years of colonial rule, even though at the cost of thousands of lives sacrificed at the altar of the Freedom Movement.
This great year-long celebration is to go back to the far past to introspect how India had lost her autonomy and how it was regained from the British bondage, and whether the youth of our country have grasped the struggles of our freedom fighters and if the vision of our forefathers has been realised today.
Reflecting on this day, I’d like to share the words of the great patriot and poet Rabindranath Tagore and his dream of that Independent country:
“Where the mind is without fear
and the head is held high
Where knowledge is free
Where the world has not been
broken up into fragments
By narrow domestic walls
Where words come out from the depth of truth
Where tireless striving stretches its arms towards perfection
…………………..
Into that heaven of freedom,
my Father, let my country awake”.
Was his dream fulfilled?
Wishing every success to ‘Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav’!