Independence is a beautiful word which signifies free from outside control or influence or in short self -governance.
On 15th August, 1947, we attained independence to be “in-dependence” of our own Government on whom we laid our hopes and aspirations to build a nation where every simple Indian would feel secured in his Motherland – we call India. The struggle was herculean leading to bloodshed and loss of many precious lives. They did not die in vain. They had a vision, they wanted their fellow brothers and sisters to breathe free from foreign domination so that the leaders could plan and build a nation that would stand out for its rich values and uniqueness of its character; for the kind of diversity in its culture, religion, language, traditions etc. Undoubtedly, we have made progress but countless questions are still left unanswered and these are the same questions that have been asked since independence regarding literacy, education, poverty, healthcare, employment, power, water, transport, environment etc. These are the issues that concern the welfare of the people and our leaders have been elected to ensure just this!
Since the recent years, people have been living with a lot of fears and apprehensions not knowing what policies will be rolled out by the Government as it has been one thing after another forcing them to line up before one office or the other to obtain one card or the other at the cost of their leave from office or other commitments. One wonders what is in store after all this exercise!
Presently, the Government is only inclined towards economic development by signing pacts and agreements with various nations to cater to the high and the mighty leaving those at the lower strata to continue to live under the pressure of poverty in a dark world where they can be brainwashed by the politicians with promises of a better tomorrow. It is a pathetic situation! We should bow our heads in shame as even after 71 years our leaders did not succeed to provide minimum standards of living to its population. Why blow our trumpets and project our lopsided development? We should sit back and listen to the voices within us.
May God bless those bygone leaders due to whose vision Mother India succeeded to stabilize herself through 5 year plans and various other policies and above all by upholding the principles enshrined in the Preamble of our Constitution.
At this point, I am reminded of the poem of our great poet laureate Rabindranath Tagore – ‘Where the Mind is without Fear’ which ends with a plea to Almighty God in the words, “Into that heaven of freedom, my Father, let my country awake.”

Ms. Celina Menezes
(Administrator)
St. Sebastian English Primary School