Freedom for free!

Two friends, the blogger and the bugger, talk about the 67th Independence day.

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Phone rings, “Hey dude, what’s up? ”

“Nothing really, why? ”

“Aren’t you doing anything today – no flag hoisting, no assembly in the neighbourhood or no rushing to news – no sentiments?”

“Neh! I’m just chilling – when do I get an holiday like this right in the middle of the week, when your brain is just trying to give up from fatigue. If you don’t mind, I’d like to hang up and go back to my sleep.”

“Dude! it’s not just another Indian holiday, it’s the Independence day. ”

“Yeah! so what, go and beat the shit out of people’s eardrums over day long cacophony in public place – playing speeches and songs on an amplifier?”

“At least they are trying to align themselves to the nation today. Independence day unites us as one.”

“Yeah like two political parties in my locality who try to outperform each other by raising the sound level?”

“You can’t be judgemental on that – everyone is trying to celebrate in their own way!”

“Likewise – I am trying to go back to sleep, if you let me.”

“But that’s no way of celebrating it mate! I think we should.”

“I wish I could go with you on that – but today is a dry day and I don’t have stock.”

“Hey! at least show some respect to martyrs today – forget about the glass for one day, can’t you?”

“And what do you suggest we do - listen to patriotic songs, wave flags, buy miniature flags from children working at traffic signals or watch another bollywood trash from the likes of Singham? What exactly is your idea of celebration?”

“Err! I don’t know for sure and it doesn’t have to be conventional clichés like you said.”

“You can go shopping~”

“Shopping?”

“Yep, why not? Haven’t  you seen today’s newspaper – it’s full of offers and discounts from the front page advertisement to the very last. Think you should avail some.”

“Shopping doesn’t quite go with the idea of Independence day, does it?”

“Well, why not when freedom comes for free?”

“What do you mean?”

“Well, we have not paid for freedom in any form, be it money or labour – have we? How do we know what is the value? Unless we know that for sure, our Independence day will continue to be an Indian holiday and it would be celebrated with free coupons, films or music or souvenir for that matter.”

“Why do you have to be such a cribber all the time?”

“I will stop cribbing when people start thinking.”

“And think what?”

“There are so many questions - Is it enough to listen to listen to some patriotic songs to remember how we got freedom? What was their dream – who thought less about their own pleasure before setting out to fight and die? What was the freedom that was worth dying for?”

“It is kind of difficult to perceive for people from our generation, don’t you think? After all, we were brought up in a different world. This is the effect of globalization I’d say, for now the young British generation don’t think they have to rule the world, people from west are raising their voice against war and violence. I guess we have attained a different maturity model to stop thinking about hatred and think about the world as one global village – so Independence is more like remembering the day, but we don’t have to rise to it with hatred.”

“Someone is studying a lot of economics, is it? Globalization is nothing but an expansion of colonization or more like neo-colonization. Hate your neighbouring country to befriend a rich and powerful country halfway across the globe, whose riches virtually came from robbing you only. It is the prolong effect of colonization that tells us to hate our own culture and love theirs instead. If we don’t know history, we will not understand the core of today’s economy, and it will be easy to make us believe whatever they want. I am not saying that be a fanatic today to stir the hatred and revenge in you but question if the freedom, we see today is real – if we have achieved economic independence. There is so much more to it than what we know.”

“So what do you suggest one should do?”

“If anyone is willing to pay attention – there is a lot, but for the starters, lets say, on the eve of independence day, we should at least make an attempt to think independently. We should ask ourselves if all that we know is correct and if we have facts supporting it. We may have had independence long back, but the true freedom and equality is far away and will continue to be unless we strive towards it as one.”

“Well said – I guess we will have to raise a toast to that.”

“If you say so, you know where to find me.”

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