Independence Day of India is celebrated on Fifteen of August (15/8/47) to commemorate its independence from British rule and its birth as a sovereign nation in 1947. The day is a national holiday in India. All over the country, flag-hoisting ceremonies are conducted by the local administration in attendance. The main event takes place in Delhi, the capital city of India, where the Prime Minister hoists the national flag at the Red Fort and delivers a nationally televised speech from its ramparts. In his speech, he highlights the achievements of his government during the past year, raises important issues and gives a call for further development. The Prime Minister also pays his tribute to leaders of the freedom struggle.
Since Indepencence, India and its people have evolved over the years. There have been many changes post independence from population of the country to becoming one of the largest and promising economies of the world. India has also become the largest democracy in the world.
64 years, Are we still backward?
It seems nearly impossible to dream of an India that thinks beyond the lines of reservations. At a time of competing liberalism globally, India choose to follow its age-old habit of banning anything that we have selectively termed as sensitive - books and movies, from Salman Rushdie's Satanic Verses to Taslima Nasrin Lajja, to Deepa Mehta's Fire, and of late, Prakash Jha's Aarakshan.As the nation moves forward in education, development and economic prosperity, the logical thinking part of us is taking a walk back. The freedom of speech and expression is chained here where you do not have the liberty to touch on topics which our politicians feel are "sensitive". We have been scared of radical ideas and we choose to live with the belief that nothing is totally right or wrong.
