"If there is one place on the face of earth
where all the dreams of living men have found a home from the very earliest
days when man began the dream of existence, it is India."
—Romain Rolland
August
15 is an auspicious day for India; a day of pride, joy and glory. This day
reminds of the priceless struggle and sacrifice of the freedom fighters for the
independence of the country. Every year, Indians celebrate this day for their freedom
from British colonialism. On 15th
August, 1947, Pundit Jawahar Lal Nehru, the first Prime Minister of independent
India; raised the esteemed
tricolor national flag above Lahori gate of Red fort in Delhi.
As we all know, Saffron
color symbolizes courage and sacrifice. White color symbolizes purity in
thoughts and truth in speech. Green color symbolizes faith, fertility and
prosperity. 24 spokes of the chakra represents noble teachings of Buddha.
Nehru
delivered his famous speech ‘Tryst with destiny’ which represented the struggle
of freedom fighters and future of India.
“Long years
ago we made a tryst with destiny, and now the time comes when we shall redeem
our pledge, not wholly or in full measure, but very substantially. 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.”
This
day still holds great significance in the hearts of Indian citizens. Following
the occasion of 1947, the stunning celebrations are held every year with great enthusiasm on the embankment of Red Fort in New Delhi making the
capital of India the centre of all celebrations. The Prime Minister hoists the national
flag, addresses the nation and pays homage and tribute to the freedom fighters
of the country. The National Anthem of India-‘Jana Gana Mana’ is sung and the
parades of Indian forces are held.
India
will be now celebrating its 70 years of independence. The great ceremony of
hoisting flag is observed in schools, colleges, institutions and government offices throughout India. The buildings are decorated
by tricolor lights blossoming the feeling of patriotism in citizens. Several movie channels
telecast old and new patriotic movies on TV. Some channels also organize special
cultural programs and telecast classics. The people of Indian Origin and NR I's
celebrate this day as “India Day” in various parts of the world. This motivates
the citizens to join hands and contribute towards the nation.
The aroma of free air we experience is not really free. There are many social,
economic and political issues acting as an obstacle for the growth of country. All the issues arising here is because of the lack of
national integration and awareness. The need and
requirement of the hour is to stand unitedly against these issues .
Rabindranath Tagore has rightly said in Geetanjli-
“Where the mind is led forward by
thee into ever-widening thought and action;
Where the mind is without fear and the head is held high;
Where knowledge is free;
Where the world has not been broken up into fragments by domestic walls;
Where words come out from the depth of truth;
Where tireless striving stretches its arms towards perfection;
Where the clear stream of reason has not lost its way into the dreary desert sand of dead habit;
Where the mind is led forward by thee into ever-widening thought and action.”
Where the mind is without fear and the head is held high;
Where knowledge is free;
Where the world has not been broken up into fragments by domestic walls;
Where words come out from the depth of truth;
Where tireless striving stretches its arms towards perfection;
Where the clear stream of reason has not lost its way into the dreary desert sand of dead habit;
Where the mind is led forward by thee into ever-widening thought and action.”
Superb post
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