It's Here Again! Happy New Year!

Year 2014 has been pretty hectic and sadly I haven’t been much active in the blogosphere. It will be a shame to end the year without even one post. And now, as we get ready to usher in the new year, seems to me the perfect time to rectify this mistake. As folks gather around and celebrate the dawn of the sparkling New Year, here's wishing it brings gifts of joys, good health and cheer. May 2015 greet you with days as fragrant as roses, as colorful as rainbow, as bright as sunshine and as happy and cheerful as a lark. Happy New Year!

Celebrating 66 Years of Freedom - Happy Independence Day!

15 August 1947, India became a free nation. Pandit Nehru's landmark speech captures the essence of the political freedom from the British Empire, "at the stroke of the midnight hour, when the world sleeps, India will awake to life and freedom. A moment comes, which comes but rarely in history, when we step out from the old to the new, when an age ends, and when the soul of a nation, long suppressed, finds utterance."

India did not achieve its independence from the British Empire on a silver platter. It was the culmination of decades of struggle led by revolutionaries like Chandrasekhar Azad, Bhagat Singh, Mahatma Gandhi, Netaji Subhash Chadra Bose and countless others. In those days Indians weren't considered equal to the foreigners who ruled over them in their own country. Today, all Indians enjoy equal rights irrespective of their race or region. We have the freedom of speech and expression, freedom for life and freedom for hope. We owe our freedom to those unsung heroes who made supreme sacrifices in India's freedom struggle so that we grew up in a free country.

On August 15, we celebrated the 67th Independence Day. The Flag hoisting followed by the National Anthem and some cultural programs is the norm. On this day. the whole nation is gripped by a fervent wave of patriotism. Vehicles, public and private, can be seen sporting the national flag as they ply to and fro. Shops which remain open, are usually spruced up in tricolours, some flying the national flag at the shop entrances. Youngsters adorn themselves with the tricolours of the national flag displaying it on scarves, badges, wristbands, hairbands or face paintings. The spirit is reinforced as most television channels start play patriotic movies and songs as a build up to the Independence Day. The whole nation rejoices in happiness and celebration, saluting the ones who made this possible.

Sadly, this euphoric feeling of unity and big hearted patriotism doesn't last more than 24 hours. People get back to their well paying jobs and cozy lifestyles once the fervour wears off. Rakesh Sharma, the first Indian to fly into space, was asked a question on how India looked from space by the then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi. He responded, "Saare Jahan Se Acha, Hindusthan Humara!" Given the humble start and plethora of challenges faced by our country, its achievements over the last 66 years are quite remarkable. As a proud Indian, I believe we can be the best. But only if the citizens of this great nation sustain the Independence Day spirit for 365 days of the year. Vande Mataram!

Happy Independence Day!!

Today is the 65th Independence Day of India, a reminder to express our gratitude to the tireless efforts of previous generations for gifting us the freedom of this country. India is a great country. Something that is a part of us, something very dear to us. But today, corruption runs rampant. It seems to have permeated every sphere of life. Open any newspaper, switch on any news channel, you will defintely find a news article on some scam or the other. Bad roads and filth are common place. Markets are very susceptible to inflation and price hikes have become very frequent. We also seem to be eternally plagued by internal differences.

The night is darkest just before the dawn. I hope, the dawn is coming. On this day in 1947, India had a choice. I believe the folks at the helm choose wisely and India became a Democratic Republic. These wise folks fought for our Indepenence and then gifted us Democracy for our future. India decided that it will not be a few that will decide what is best for it, but all its citizens will. The present day Indians are gifted children. We have the gift of liberty to choose the way we live. Our major challenge is to ensure that every citizen recognizes this gift and every citizen is protected from threats to such liberty.

My country has come a long way since 1947. Education is in a better state than ever before. India currently has the largest English speaking population in the world. Remote villages have now been connected by road network thereby facilitating the development of these places. We have made a lot of progress in providing electricity to each and every nook and corner of the country. You will find many confident modern girls with origins from small villages in almost every industry. Life expectancy has increased by almost 10 years. All these are signs of a progressive nation.

We have miles to go and we will get there provided we raise a more compassionate, more tolerent, more rational and more confident generation. Many of us have been outside India and know what clean road looks like, how simplest of government related things are done in an honest straight forward fashion, how girls confidently take on anything that comes their way. I wish all these intellectual, forward thinking progressive people will come back to India, come back into our spheres and togather we can work hard to build a great nation. If someone opens the door when we walk in, we say "thank you". This country has opened so many doors in our lives, how can we ever thank it enough?

Wishing Mother India a Happy Independence Day!!