Swatantrata Divas - A New Dawn

Do we want our colonizers back? 

My father once questioned, upon receiving a silver coin embedded with a serene picture of the Empress Victoria, which left me in thought.

 Humble respect to her and her nation, for without their autocratic leadership, we wouldn’t have had the advanced technology, some of the notable infrastructure, a rich history and of course a new definition of sophistication; English. But we wouldn’t have realized the value of struggle, unity and the need for freedom either.  

They weren’t wrong. But they weren’t right either. it’s part of human nature to have the desire to dominate, they did too. They helped cities flourish with trade and wealth. But they also increased social inequality, discrimination and deteriorated health. The rest is history; a history we all are aware of.  

We earned our independence. But we gave in to their dependence. 

I say this in English because perhaps that’s what the masses value. Shayad main bhi. But in a country known for its unity in diversity, does one language hold the power to create differences and discriminate social classes?  

Our value for the language isn't not too much to ignore our self respect. English is no doubt the most spoken language, the international language of communication. But not the only way. Definitely not in a country with around 24 official languages. 

The British cannot be neglected; not through their lifestyle, not through our history. But our identity should not be neglected either. Our culture, our ideologies, our languages, all distinguish us from the world. We know how to embrace, but we know how to express too. 

Speaking in Hindi does not indicate illiteracy. Following out cultures and respecting our religions do not symbolize our supposed negligence towards the trending fashion. Preferring Indian cuisines over continental ones do not demean us.

 Judgements may surface in the mind, but true identity resides in the heart. We know how to appreciate. We know how to embrace and accept. And most importantly, we know how to remember…our identity. 

Swantantrata Divas ki hardik shubhkamnaye...Namaste.