Yesterday, August 15, was India's 62nd Independence Day. It is, of course, India's national Holiday celebrated with justifiable patriotic pride. The hallmark of this event is an inspiring nationwide address by the Prime Minister of India along with the unfurling of the tri-colored Indian flag to a 21-gun salute at the historic Red Fort in Delhi. (Red Fort used to be seat of the power of the Mughul Emperor Shah Jahan who also built the Taj Mahal.)
Due to recent bomb attacks in India, Prime Minister ManMohan Singh gave a speech amidst very tight security and addressed key issues like inflation, terrorism, India's relationship with Pakistan, the civilian nuclear deal with the US and India first mission to the moon among other things. India plans to send an Indian spacecraft, Chandrayan, to the moon in 2008, which will be an important milestone in the development of its space programme.
(All pictures above depicting India's Independence Day Celebrations are courtesy of mangalorean.com)
For historical perspective, at the stroke of midnight, on 15 August 1947, India became an independent nation free from the British rule after a hundred year freedom struggle. This was preceded by the legendry speech by the first Prime Minister of India, Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, father of Indira Gandhi, India's Iron Lady who was India's Prime Minister for four terms. Titled "Tryst with destiny", Indians consider this speech the epitome of oratory because of the exceptional narrative which captured the deep emotions regarding India's determined non-violent struggle for independence, the nationalistic fervour, the dreams and hopes for the new nation...
An excerpt is given below to provide flavor:
Long years ago we made a tryst with destiny, and now the time comes when we shall redeem our pledge, not wholly or in full measure, but very substantially. At the stroke of the midnight hour, when the world sleeps, India will awake to life and freedom. A moment comes, which comes but rarely in history, when we step out from the old to the new, when an age ends, and when the soul of a nation, long suppressed, finds utterance..... We end today a period of ill fortune, and India discovers herself again.
Pakistan's independence day is August 14, 1947 and is also a national holiday. Within two days in 1947, the British had created the two sovereign states of India and Pakistan. This was also the genesis of a bitter and unrelenting struggle between the two countries over the state of Kashmir. The partition of the country was accompanied by some of the bloodiest clashes ever seen, stories of which we still hear with horror today. I will address this aspect with respect to my parents who barely escaped with their lives...
As a former High School teacher with degrees and experience in teaching India's history, I am sorely tempted to provide a full tutorial on the same here, but I will refrain as history taught as an academic subject tends to lose its appeal for most, very fast. Besides there are infinite number of books and literature on the subject. I will instead provide my reflections (in parts) on free India based upon my family and my own experiences against the backdrop above.
(To be continued)
6 comments:
Good work Raksha. You have touched upon some interesting themes, partition of India, Kashmir, Indo-Pak relations. I look forward to more blogs on these themes. They will educate us and remind us of how one of the biggest rivalries in the world, one of the biggest struggles in the world, over Kashmir, was born as a by-product of the partition of India.
I cannot wait until you post about all this in relation to your family! You are broadening my horizons...thank you.
That was very interesting and pics are pretty neat also. Given your connection to India, and as I understand also a connection to Pakistan, what is your opinion on the most recent development in Pakistan?
I noted in some stories several months ago that some in Pakistan had been referring to Musharraf as Busharraf. Implying he was simply a puppet for GW.
I look forward to more on the history.
Raksha - I love that you refer to India's independence day as just that - "Independence Day" . .rather than as "August 15." May you and all your decendants and fellow citizens always keep it that way. . . unlike what has happened in this country where it has become known merely as "July 4th" or "Fourth of July.. ." as a calendar date, rather than a well-earned and hard-won title. And, I agree with the others - please give us more regarding what your family went through during the struggle for Independence. Such writing makes history come alive! Keep going!! -DebT
Thank you so much for inviting me to your blog. It is so exciting to learn something about another country especially from someone who writes to eloquently. I also loved your article about your experiences moving to the US. That must have been very exciting and scary all at the same time.
Thank you all for your feedback and interest in the land of my birth. India is a very complex nation with a rich history which is truly worth sharing. I will definitely be back with real-life stories...
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