Freedom is Something that Money can’t Buy
-- Jyotsna Koul , 12-B, Carmel School
Tuesday, August 4, 2020
As I was ready to board my flight at the airport, excited to go to India, I received a call. It was from my best friend, she had called to ask me about my liberation day plans (26th February). We usually stroll on the Gulf road with an open sun roof, with winds in our hair, waving the Kuwait flag and playing with water guns, it indeed feels liberating. As soon as she informed me about her preparation regarding the same, I felt a bit despondent. I said “I wish I could be there, Kuwait’s liberation day is actually one of the best days, more exciting than India’s Independence day where we sit idle all day”. She agreed and we spoke for a while until I told her I have to get going and hung up.
As soon as I hung up I noticed a man, probably in his mid sixties staring at me with disgruntled look. I looked back raising my eyebrows, confused and wondering why he seemed so resentful. He soon approached and said “Sorry for eavesdropping, but I couldn’t just ignore what you said about our independence day”. I looked down embarrassed and apologetic, thinking how a few people are too patriotic.
The man introduced himself as Major Ram Sharma and said “Millennials have a habit of taking things for granted, after all you all haven’t seen the struggles our forefathers faced to free our country from the British rule. My grandfather was a freedom fighter and played his part in freeing the country from the clutches of the British .My father claimed that they rarely met him due to his tight schedule. Although my grandmother always made sure that we were always proud of his service for the nation. You can’t imagine the obstacles we Indians faced prior to independence, do you have a clue?” I nodded my head benightedly unable to reply. “We were never free to roam around, labourers were exploited, there were no civil rights, upon that amounts of taxes were enormous. Despite being free from all these miserable things we still take the freedom that our soldiers have earned by sacrificing their lives ,for granted. I being not only a citizen but also a soldier of this one of a kind nation value its independence” he continued. I realised he was right and apologized for what I had said earlier and thanked him for opening my eyes and making me realize how foolish I had been .Freedom is something that money can’t buy; it’s the result of the struggles of many brave hearts. We ought to value our Independence and respect the people who have sacrificed their life for the welfare and well being of our nation.
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Jyotsna Koul , 12-B, Carmel School |
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