The Unfinished Work of Independence

During my childhood, an era of scarcity and limited choices, my parents constantly emphasized the value of things. They taught me to take meticulous care of my belongings whether a school bag, shoes, or a simple pen so they wouldn't be lost or damaged.

I remember my father sharing how he had to secure a scholarship just to attend another government school for the next grade, as his current school only went up to the 6th grade. Back then, private schools were rare and entirely unaffordable for his family. During his final two years of schooling, he tied with another student for a scholarship. They had to take a retest, and my father squeezed ahead by a single mark. That one mark ensured he could complete his 9th and 10th grades with free education. Further studies were impossible; he immediately took a job and slowly built a life. Having struggled so much, he valued every penny spent, often suppressing his own aspirations just to meet our basic needs.

I couldn't fully appreciate his struggle back then. However, now that I am earning in an era of abundance and endless choices, I feel a pinch when I see my son failing to value things the same way. Today, we buy pens in bulk so our kids don't suffer the scarcity we did. But as a result, if a pen is misplaced, they don't bother searching for it; they simply open a new packet. There is a specific pair of shoes for every attire formal, casual, business casual.

While it is true that we must change with the times, we must also continue to take care of what we have. It would be wrong to categorize all of Gen Z as careless, but observing my son and his peers, I see the side effects of being born into abundance. For instance, they might jam their feet into shoes without untying the laces, not caring about the damage it causes, because the mindset is simply: I can always get a new one.

Taking Independence for Granted

Make no mistake, this article is not merely a commentary on generational shifts. It is about Independence Day, and how we treat the freedom of our country.

Today, Independence Day is celebrated primarily as a holiday a break from the daily routine. If it falls near a weekend, it becomes an excuse for a long getaway. Because we did not live under British rule, we do not viscerally understand the difference between being a free citizen and being subjugated by a foreign power. Because we did not have to struggle for our national freedom, it has become just another holiday to us, rarely utilized to remember the immense sacrifices that made it possible.

The Privilege of a Home Nation

I have had the fortune of traveling abroad for holidays and official work. While you can move about freely as a tourist or guest, there is always a lingering sense of insecurity. There is a limit to the privileges of a visitor.

In India, we freely bargain for the best deals, and if we dislike a service, we feel entitled to argue and demand better. I would feel unsafe doing that in another country, fearing that as a foreigner, I might not receive fair justice. While justice is not always guaranteed in our own country either, we have the freedom and the confidence to tap into various resources to fight for it. This underlying fear in foreign lands is true for most common people, though perhaps not for the global elite. It is in these moments of vulnerability abroad that we truly realize the importance and comfort of our own freedom.

The Unfinished Work of Independence

To understand the continuous nature of this freedom, I would like to borrow a quote from our first Prime Minister, Jawaharlal Nehru:

"The service of India means the service of the millions who suffer. It means the ending of poverty and ignorance and disease and inequality of opportunity. The ambition of the greatest men of our generation has been to wipe every tear from every eye. That may be beyond us, but as long as there are tears and suffering, so long our work will not be over."

It would be wrong to say India has not progressed, but our speed of progress has not matched our true potential. By now, we should not only be a developed nation but a formidable global power influencing major international decisions. The reason poverty, ignorance, and inequality of opportunity still persist is that many elected representatives have focused on selfishly consolidating power, ignoring the common people.

The New "Princely States"

As the years pass, the generation that directly participated in the freedom struggle is fading away. A new league of politicians both in the ruling party and the opposition has emerged. Because they have not gone through the grind of fighting for independence, they often fail to value it, restricting their focus to their own vested interests.

• Political Dynasties: Modern politicians have effectively replaced the royals of the 584 princely states. They amass unimaginable wealth to remain centers of power, and their legacies are blindly carried forward by their children.

• The State of Politics: The opposition frequently fails to do constructive work, reducing their role to merely opposing the government or politicizing issues for the limelight. Conversely, ruling parties rarely consult with the opposition, seizing every opportunity to put them down sometimes even branding them as anti-national if they do not fall in line.

• Citizen Apathy: Concurrently, citizens most of whom belong to post-independence generations—have also taken this freedom for granted. We have stopped questioning our representatives. Worse, we have become scared of them, accepting this flawed system as a way of life.

A Continuous Process: What We Must Fight For Today

Yes, we are a free country, but our journey of independence is a continuous process. True independence today requires us to demand:

• Freedom from corruption.

• Equality of opportunity in all fields, especially education and healthcare.

• The freedom to question our representatives without fear of retaliation.

Every citizen must realize that the security provided to politicians is funded by our tax money. Why should they fear their own citizens? If they are doing the right job, the citizens themselves will protect them. Furthermore, the public infrastructure provided by the government belongs to us. We are the true owners of these properties, built with the direct and indirect taxes we pay every day. Politicians and bureaucrats are necessary to run a country, but we, the citizens, must unite to enforce accountability.

True independence begins in the mind. We must shatter the illusion of rulers and subjects; no politician—no matter their office is our master. They are public servants, bound by our vote, funded by our sweat, and accountable to us.