Another Independence Day is on the way with a new hope and
full of excitement. Most people are preparing to travel to enjoy with their
near and dear one’s because of the long weekend. Another side to this are the “Great
“Politicians readying to give big promises to Aam Aadmi (Common people) on this
auspicious day. If I ask you, “why we celebrate this day? “ Then the most common
answer would be that we got Independence from British rule after many long
years of struggle. India is obviously free and Independent now even more so on
paper.
Sixty seven years of independence doesn't necessarily make any special
or a big difference to the meaning of being truly independent. We proudly claim
that we are independent from a foreign rule but we are still not free! How long
will it take before each and every one of our citizen’s life is guaranteed? How
long will it take to beat corruption? How long will it take to save our
girls? How long will it be before our
Educational system improves? How long before we build a strong and powerful
nation? How much longer will it take for us to realize the real meaning of
freedom?
We tend to forget that Independence is not only living
freely but also allowing others to live freely. American Historian, will Durant once said "India
will teach us the tolerance and gentleness of mature mind, understanding spirit
and a unifying, pacifying love for all human beings’’ but the sad reality presently
is completely opposite and it looks like people are more jealous, Intolerant and
feeling of hatred towards our fellow
countrymen.
Post world war –II, The world’s two largest population Asian
giants got Independence. China got
Independence a little late when compared to India but if we see India’s growth,
especially in the last few decades, It doesn't come anywhere in the picture of
China’s rapid growth. One thing is certain: China seems to be ahead of India in
all economic and human development indices and whenever China gets chances it
always turns them into productive opportunities. India must learn many things
from China in terms of planning and speed of execution.
World Bank statistics show that higher education enrollment
is a leading indicator of economic growth. As a result, 26% of China's
university-age population is enrolled in an institution of higher education,
versus 18% in India. The gap is really worrying.
In India where People worships Girls as a Creation of an
embodiment of Goddess but in terms of rape cases it’s position comes third. In
spite of the fact that some girls don’t complain because of fear or society and
family prestige still according to National crime records bureau, crime against
women have increased by 7.1 Percent since 2010. Nearly one in three rape
victims in India is under the age of 18, one in 10 are under 14.every 20 minutes
in India, a woman is raped which is shameful and requires urgent attention and
steps to address the problem.
India is planning to go ahead in the world map but if people
are not healthy then how can we expect to grow. A Healthy country plays a vital
role for Improvement of the economy. According to World Health organization
ranking of the world’s Health systems; India ranks 112th whereas our Neighboring
countries fare better than India eg. Bangladesh comes on 88th and where Sri
Lanka comes 76th.
Education is a very important sector where Govt. has to give more focus
because a good educational system can support India’s development.
The System of Higher Education in India is a mixture of several stark and contradictory
realities. The reality is that India’s best Universities are run by the
government and what is emerging now is that India’s smartest universities are
in the Private Sector. Quality is a serious problem as no Indian University,
with the exception of an IIT or two even features on the global ranking of Top
100 or Top 200 Universities of the world. In an increasingly globalized market
this puts India and Indians at a serious disadvantage.
Terrorism is a big challenge for the India and according to The
Global Terrorism Index India’s position comes under four which is really a very
shocking for a peace loving country.
On 12th August,
Two day before Pakistan’s Independence Day, Narendra Modi’s message to Pakistan from Ladakh (Close to
Pakistan border) is a good sign to fight against Terrorism because Pakistan is
the hub of terrorist activities and almost all the terrorist attacks in India
are factually linked to Pakistan and their Intelligence agency ISI only. The “Proxy
“war and state sponsored violence by Pakistan must stop.
Finally, we need to ensure that PM Modi should put all these
important issues as top priority for the Nation when he will address us from
Red Fort on 15th August 2014 and especially because Narendra Modi
has been sworn-in as the Prime Minister of India with high expectations. 1.25
billion Indians are watching his every move with anticipation and hope. In most
of his post-victory speeches, Modi has promised to make 21st century
as India’s time to regain Her past Glory and further grow to the very top.
We are now an independent country, but we should not confuse
independence with freedom. What an irony: the country is independent, but the
society we live in is still not free.
Freedom, like Success, is a journey; an on-going process. There are some
other sectors too where we also have to focus on for Development because for
everything we can’t blame the Government. There are certain things where we
must follow in our everyday routine to make a nation more comfortable and the
civil society must take the lead and play a proactive role.
Take a pledge to
- Keep the environment clean and hygienic
- Use water efficiently and save water via rain harvesting
- Save Trees and Plants
- Respect People especially Elderly, women and children and
participate in their safety,
- Be Eco Friendly.
- Respect all Religions and Realize that God is Truly One.
If these details are attended to then we as an Indians can
be sure that one day our Nation once again will become a super power in world
affair and be looked at as a role model for all of humanity.