- “Freedom without discipline is as dangerous as wild fire”
- “A disciplined candle light could illuminate the surroundings, an undisciplined free flame could cause destruction”
Do these quotes make sense, looking at the present scenario of our country – are we really free from slavery, hunger, deprivation, political atrocities and all those happenings in the country disturbing and destroying the peaceful coexistence of a peace loving people of Bhaarat?
The geographical or territorial freedom that we speak of is for our free movements integrating ourselves with the bounty of nature – or Prakriti.
The so-called ‘freedom’ or independence from the foreign rule came in a total darkness; Yes! Midnight freedom in darkness. Now we wonder why the freedom was not dawned with the rising Sun on the 15th August 1947. The Akhanta Bhaaratam was fragmented with the partition on basis of religion belying the tenets of our righteous “Sanatana Dharma” embracing all in oneness.
Principles of Tri-color in the National Flag
The tricolour national flag signifies Sathyam (saffron-truth)- Samathwam (white-equality)-Swaathanthryam (green-liberty) – a beautifully conceived ideology, with Dharma chakra (the wheel of righteousness) in the center combining the core principles of what Sanatana Dharma stands for. The freedom fighters suffered supreme sacrifices for rebuilding a “Ram Rajya”, but where have we gone wrong? Those people took it for granted that the next generation of the Swatantra Bhaarat would be like themselves following the Dharmic paths of our Aarsha Samskaara. Contrary to their belief and conviction, a wrong kind of democratic system failed the country to tread on a Dhaarmic path. Our political system steadily slipped into corruption, nepotism, and opportunism.
The slogan Garibi Hatao – A big question mark?
After seventy years of freedom from foreign domination we still speak aloud about “Garibi Hatao” slogan, is this freedom from hunger? Why? Don’t we have enough to feed our hungry mouths? We do but the umpteen political parties created for individual gains saw to it that, keeping them hungry is the way to make the people listen to vote for them. True education is denied to those hungry mouths, lest they question the atrocities unleashed on the so called gareebs (poor people).
Freedom of Speech misused?
In the name of freedom of speech, politicians propagate wrong ideology through their own media tools and confuse the gullible ‘janata’ (citizens). Having adopted a wrong system of education without discipline and morality, a chaotic situation has been created – a cradle society for the advantage of a multi party system, totally unsuitable for our country. The Swatantra Bhaarat has seen an opposition for the sake of opposing and undermining the governing missionary to suite their own selfish interests, least bothered about the welfare of the nation.
The corrupt political system never allows the citizens to question or criticize them for their wrong doings and people are always under fear of threat from those unscrupulous bad elements of the society. Freedom from fear of such political situation is real freedom, but not the independence that we celebrate each year on 15th August.
With all the atrocities happening around us in Swatantra Bhaarat, we cannot deny the fact that we have grown tremendously, competing with developed countries. We always had the rich resources which were exploited by the invaders and called us a poor nation. We also accepted that, just because of technological advancement not in our agenda initially, but now we supersede others and help others to advance by lending them our intellectual wealth. We don’t have the freedom to tell the world, that we are rich every way, but a rich country with poor administration?
We help others to progress
The brain drain from Bhaarat benefitted several nations, but our wrong political administrative system did not give the freedom to those intellectuals to remain in the soil to develop the nation to its full capacity. We hear of official suppression, harassment to our own intellectuals, scientists, industries etc., thus curbing the freedom on all quarters. How can we enjoy freedom when we are threatened by our neighboring countries, rebels of our own brethren’s inside the nation, holding or covering in foreign outlawed outfits such as Maoist Naxalites, Kashmiri separatist and the like. Unless and until all the political parties speak in one voice against these enemies of TRUE FREEDOM & PEACE the independence or freedom has no meaning. We still live in fear of war or invasion and are dependent on the mercies of those threatening foes within and outside.
Live in fear for 70 years
How can we celebrate 70 years of FREEDOM when part of our country is still not living in peace? Is it not shameful that we could not resolve the problem for seven decades? If there is the political will to resolve the J & K problem once for all and free those citizens of Bhaarat from the FEAR OF treacherous clutches of the terrorists from the boarder, we cannot truly celebrate our freedom. We have to free ourselves from the corrupt members of Parliament and State Assemblies. Are we free to elect the right kind of representatives to these worshipful houses – Parliament and State Assemblies? Of course, we are to be blamed FOR our wrong choices put up by the wrong Political parties, swayed by monetary gains and the confluence of influences. In my opinion, true FREEDOM will dawn only when we have a two party system with uncorrupt intellectuals representing us at the helm of administrative affairs.
Freedom at stake
All our industrialists and Business houses making multimillion profits should have the heart to share their wealth gotten from the people, a liberal gesture to mitigate the sufferings of the poor. Apply the philosophy of Upanishads and Sanatana Dharma (Sahanaavavatu… live & let live, share the food, work together, harness the intelligence, no enmity towards others, thus let peace prevail). The rich are getting richer by the day, making poor poorer; do those people building multi-crore mansions and amassing unhealthy wealth realize that they live in fear all the time as to how to protect that ill wealth and then leave everything behind when the life goes? They have no FREEDOM from fear of security, no peace in life, all the time battling for one thing or the other.
The geographical or territorial freedom that we speak of is for our free movements integrating ourselves with the bounty of nature – or Prakriti. Here also our boundaries are marked with barbed wires – be it the country or States, cities, and villages and houses & houses – and we fight for border demarcations. I always think IF our neighboring countries allow free movements between our borders and establish a camaraderie spirit of live and let live both sides can live a happy life and lead a progressive life.
In my opinion, we can breathe FREEDOM only when we have elected representatives in the parliament and assemblies with absolute blemish less character and metal acumen to serve the nation without selfish interests. If a day dawns when divinity, dignity, and decorum prevail in the worshipful temples of administration called parliament and Assembly halls that are the day of ‘Freedom’ for us. As long as chaos and disruptions happen in these places, our freedom is at stake. No meaning to the celebration of Independence Day on 15th August.
FREEDOM:
“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
Where the clear stream of reason has not lost its way
Into that dreary desert sand of dead habit
Where you lead the mind forward
Into ever-widening thought and action
Into that heaven of FREEDOM, my Father let my country awake”
(A quote from Gurudev Rabindranath Tagore’s Geetanjali)
Note:
1. The views expressed here are those of the author and do not necessarily represent or reflect the views of PGurus.
Founded Bharatakalanjali in the year 1968 along with his wife Shanta Dhananjayan also an alumni of Kalakshetra. Bharatakalanjali under the able stewardship of Dhananjayan and Shanta has become one of the well known institutions in Tamizhnaadu for Bharatanaatyam. They created several prestigious and internationally acclaimed dance productions. "The Cultural panorama of Tamizhnaadu" directed and produced for the Government of Tamizhnaadu won him special recognition from the Chief Minister Thiru. M.G. Ramachandran. They also received several other State and public recognitions including Kalaimamani, Central Sangit Natak Academi, Kerala State Sangeeta Nataka Academy's Fellowship, Nrityachoodamani (Sri Krishna Gana Sabha) and several prestigious National and International awards, titles and recognitions. MA.Chidambaram Chettiyar (MAC Charities) award of Rs.50,000/-, silver casket and citation (2002), the "Swati Ratna" puraskaar for Madras Malayalee club, for their contribution to the propagation of Maharaja Swathi Tirunal's compositions through Bharatanaatyam (April 2004).
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