Swords against Bullets - India’s Journey to Independence

-- Aziza Riyaz, IX-A, Salmiya Indian Model School

Sunday, August 2, 2020

The battlefield wherein shed the blood of true Indians fighting for the freedom of their motherland, it was the victorious day of 15th August 1947, when swords tussled with bullets, and finally it was the sight of the ‘Tiranga’ waving high up in the skies of an Independent India. Independence – as we call it – was not only the remark of our freedom, it was indeed the day that put an end to the 200 years of the cruel British Raj in India. This was the day when the struggle of all our freedom fighters bloomed into fruition, it was indeed this day for which hundreds of souls faced martyrdom while millions showed bravery to gain the freedom of their beloved nation. From Peshwa Bajirao to Rani Lakshmibai, from Kashmir to south India, from the rebellious revolt of 1857 to the Dandi March Salt Satyagraha, every single struggle that India witnessed against the British has been a contribution to what brings us to this day of freedom and light.

The first nationalistic revolutionary movement for Indian Independence emerged from Bengal. Later, the rise of Indian society’s courageous freedom fighters like M.K. Gandhi and B.R. Ambedkar proved to be prominent in creating a national awareness, which led to the complete National population to express the patriotism and enthusiasm to attain the Independence from the reckless British Raj in India. The coming years saw immense protests, movements, and revolutionary steps that remained adhere on the main motive to overpower the British, as the determination to achieve freedom was more than ever in the Indians. The love for their land and the intense devotion of millions gave light to the day of 15th August 1947, the day when even the wounded and bereaved smiled as they saw an ‘Independent India’. Our story to freedom is an everlasting evidence of our unconditional love for India, a love for which thousands gave their life while millions still survive with the pride of being an ‘indian’.

“The love for one’s country is a splendid thing, but why should love stop at the border?” Indeed, this is the love and patriotism that did not have any limits nor any borders. This day is a pride for all Indians,as we hoist our National flag Tiranga in the open skies, and nurture the memory of those who set an extraordinary example of one’s love towards their nation, for generations to come and beyond.

Aziza Riyaz, IX-A, Salmiya Indian Model School