On Seventy Five Years of Independence
Issue #009 of Brief Notes on Life : An old man in a small village reminisces as children in the neighboring school celebrate Independence Day.
Prologue: India is celebrating the seventy five years of its independence in 2022. On the midnight of 15th August, 1947, after more than 150 years of British Colonialism, India became an independent nation. It was a hard-fought and long struggle, with countless sacrifices and mass movements defining India’s struggle for independence. The British victory in the Battle of Plassey in 1757 to the replacing of the Union Jack with the Tiranga1 on the Red Fort on August 15, 1947 - almost two centuries of oppression under foreign imperialism. This was the price a Civilization paid for the stirrings of nation consciousness to awaken in its people. Happy independence day to all my fellow Indians all over the world!
1. @ Seventy Five
Eyes closed(?) Old, wrinkled, hollow eyes just open enough to see a grain of light. Not much in the world amazes them. The deep set, stoic, wrinkled face of a man who has seen it all. Seen time as it flows, like a wave on and over the destinies of men.
The house was besides the school. It's discolored, cracked, damp wall leaning onto the whitewashed school compound. The only one high school for the nearby couple of villages. The old man sat with his head bowed but keenly listening to the festivities taking place in the school. He could hear the old patriotic songs blaring from a horn loudspeaker perched on the school rooftop. He remembered the tunes, and most of the lines.
He was a teacher once. A few years ago he would have been busy decorating the school with buntings, flowers, arranging the students who had come in dresses of saffron, white, blue and green in proper order and hiding the bags of candies from the kids till the ceremony was over. And then he would be waiting for the principal to accompany the village chief for the flag hoisting.
He was seventy five years old now. The nation was seventy five years young. He stood up with difficulty, his knees creaking, as the familiar tunes of the national anthem filled the air.
’....Glory to Mother India, Glory to Mother India, Glory to Mother India.’
A young, shrill voice rang out 'Bharat Mata Ki..' followed by a chorus of 'Jai'2
A small smile draws upon the old man's face. A whisper escapes from his lips ‘... Jai’. The wind carries it - the little whisper- in its wings up into the skies from where, if the leaders of yore, the ones who fought in the freedom struggle were watching, can see the children in the colours of Tricolour eating the little sweet candies with smiles on their face.
Seventy-five years. The dark rainy clouds of August part and the ten O' clock Sun shines brightly in the blue skies.
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The Tricolor flag of India.
A traditional shout of victory. Literal meaning : Glory to Mother India.