Hope against Hope

What is Freedom?

Freedom is about donning the Tri-color on your sleeve for that one day…

Freedom is about buying that tri-color flag/badge/pinwheel/sticker for 15th August and chucking it unceremoniously couple of days later...

Freedom is about incorporating blue, saffron, white and green into fashionable garments…

Freedom is about heavy discounts on your favourite department store…

Freedom is about the maha-bachat discounts in a hypermarket and the “independence day discount” on buffet meals at your favourite restaurant….

Freedom is about watching soaps, comedy shows, music talent shows, award functions, repeat tele-casts of old TV shows, repeat tele-casts of repeat-telecasts of award functions…

Freedom is about singing “Meri desh ki dharti” “Ae mere watan ke logon” on 15th August…

Freedom is about realistic fighting for freedom in fictional movies…

Freedom is all about praying that 15^th August falls on a Friday or a Monday so that we may get that extended  weekend from work/studies/family obligations

Freedom is about sound bites by pop music sensations on the radio, snapshots of the country’s popular filmstars on a revitalized video of national anthem….

Freedom is about the mandatory assembly in schools, colleges, at work, public institutions for the hoisting of the flag and the complimentary burfi….

Freedom is about sitting in a different country remembering the mandatory assembly in schools, colleges, at work, public institutions for the hoisting of the flag and the complimentary burfi...

Freedom is  about introducing a company’s new product range or a new logo or a new ad campaign…

Freedom is about trending Independence Day tweets on Twitter, Inspirational Statuses on Facebook, posting video snippets of movies with freedom struggle storylines and sending “happy independence day” SMSes to all in your friend circle.

Freedom is about cake cutting and inauguration...

Freedom is about writing inspiring posts about our past leaders...

Freedom is about drawing competitions and poster making competitions...

Freedom is reduced to a theme….

Freedom is now commercialized, gift-wrapped, scented and couriered to your doorstep with service tax and duty as applicable....

Freedom is about reducing 15^th August to just another public holiday…

Isn’t Freedom opening up of cultures, values and ethics?

Isn’t freedom about the right to vote, right to educate and the right to information?

Isn’t freedom allowing women to work, agreement to inter-caste marriages, gradual acceptance of LGBT?

Isn’t freedom about winning an international sport once limited to some races?

Isn’t freedom about living anywhere on the surface of this earth?

Isn’t freedom about being economically independent?

Is it really okay to undervalue the spirit of independence?

Why are we taking freedom for granted? Why are we undermining the value of freedom?

Why are we still enslaved by thought that "freedom was one achieved 64 years ago and that I cannot contribute anything to it?"

Now, there is one man, who fought for the country decades ago….

And still is….

but not against the British,

nor the Chinese

or the Pakistanis

It’s about the greater evil : CORRUPTION

Can we see India FREE from corruption?

We aren’t really free when we are bound by our own evils!

This post is solely dedicated to Anna Hazare and his followers who are giving us hope against hope.