Once Mahatma Gandhi said, ?Freedom is never dear at any price. It is the breath of life. What would a man not pay for a living?”

Do we know how important freedom is? To explain this, let me give you an example. To all the kids and teenagers reading this article, do you have complete freedom in your life? Most of you might not agree as we are still dependent on our parents and whatever they decide for us, we have to agree to their decision. In some cases, we do have some freedom to make our own choices. However, as we grow, we become more and more responsible and start making our own decisions. We become smarter and start making decisions according to our convenience. This example basically defines what freedom is. It is the state of being independent and doing things according to our convenience. When we are under the influence of others, we do feel bad but when we don’t get our freedom back even when we deserve it, we have to fight for it, no matter what. This was the exact same situation which occurred in India about 75 years ago.

So, what do you think was the condition of the Indian citizens during the period of the ‘British Raj’? It was indeed a very tough period for all the citizens of our country. The British ruled over the Indian Subcontinent for about 200 years. During this period, the Indians had only limited freedom or no freedom at all and were totally under the control of the British. For a long time, the British officials treated us like slaves until we managed to fight against them and drive them out of our country after 200 years.

We struggled for our independence for so long and worked tirelessly and selflessly under the guidance of our leaders and freedom fighters like Jawaharlal Nehru, Subhash Chandra Bose, Mahatma Gandhi, Chandra Shekhar Azad, Bal Gangadhara Tilak, Lala Lajpat Rai, Bhagat Singh and many more. The desire to attain independence led to the rise of several freedom fighters and many of them even lost their lives fighting for India’s independence. While some of them chose the path of violence, others preferred non-violence but their main aim was to drive the British out of India. The British treated the Indians very harshly and even tortured them. This cruel behavior of the British towards the Indians led to several revolts and many thousands of innocent Indians were killed. For example, the Revolt of 1857. Even though this revolt was not successful, it did give the Indians the hope that someday we would also become successful. They launched several movements and revolts like the Non-Cooperation Movement in 1920, the Quit India Movement in 1942, the Civil Disobedience Movement, and the Dandi March and so on and the British were having great difficulty in controlling the people and their royalty.

‘FREE INDIA’ was a dream of all Indians under the British rule. Everyone during that rule fought with a common aim of ending British and other colonial authorities in India. After a century of revolutions, struggle, blood shedding, battles and sacrifices, India finally achieved independence on August 15, 1947.

It has been almost seven decades since India gained independence and the country has progressed at a faster pace. The nation has been growing economically and socially and is heading towards development. If these freedom fighters had not contributed in the freedom struggle, the current situation of the country would have been different. India, the democratic republic might not have headed for success. We are independent and free today only because of the efforts and sacrifices made by our country’s freedom fighters.

Even after achieving independence against the British, the nation has faced several other problems. The Constitution adopted in 1950 made India a democratic country, and this democracy has been sustained since then. India's sustained democratic freedoms are unique among the world's newly independent states. Since then, the nation has been facing many economic, religious, social and educational problems but have been trying to overcome them one by one.

India has been progressing slowly and gradually since then. India is a nuclear-weapon state, having conducted its first nuclear test in 1974, followed by another five tests in 1998. From the 1950s to the 1980s, India followed socialist-inspired policies. The economy was influenced by extensive regulation, protectionism and public ownership, leading to pervasive corruption and slow economic growth. Beginning in 1991, neoliberal economic reforms have transformed India into the third largest and one of the fastest-growing economies in the world. From being a relatively destitute country in its formative years, Indian Republic has emerged as a fast growing G20 major economy with high military spending, and is seeking a permanent seat in the United Nations Security Council.

So, this 15th August, as we celebrate our 75th Independence Day, let us all take a moment to salute and pay respect to all these great men and women who laid down their lives, so that we could breathe the air of dignity and freedom.

Wishing everyone a very happy Independence Day!!!

JAI HIND?