Independence Day Message

Wish you all a Very Happy Independence Day.

Today is a day to take an oath. Whatever be the government, be it of your choice or not, Its the nation which is bigger than the individual. We shud be wedded to the nation and work for achieving the dream of a JUST SOCIETY free from fear, free from terrorism, free from communal riots and free from food and water scarcity. The enigmatic spirit of the Indus-Sarasvati civilization shud live on.

Swami Vivekananda once said that if he was given, but a hundred committed youths, he would work miracles: and those committed youths exist now, both in India and abroad, and they will never give up.

I once read somewhere that expatriates harbour 'Dangerously Romantic' notions about their home countries. I think this is true. It is sweet and proper to die for one's country, isn't it?.

When I look back, I feel that, we have come a long way in the last 58 years. We have achieved so many things on our way to 2005. But, is it enough? Not at all. Infact, the last 58 years has changed India from what it ought to have been. It is so different from the dreams of both Bose as well as Gandhi. It is different from both Patel's and Nehru's. There have been many turn arounds, sacrifices, wrong doing, wrong decisions, betrayals, many valour and what not.

We could have achieved so many. Yet, so little has been. We have not lived upto our potential. We have a hard task ahead. Yet, it is not unreachable.

Each one of us have a job at hand. We have a common responsibility.

We need to give the next generation a proper environment. Motivate them, Extend them the support they need. Each one of them have an infinite source of energy. As our President told, teach them
entrepreneurship. Teach them not to give up, instill courage as their conviction.

Don't feed fish to them. Teach them fishing. They will bring whales in return.

Today is a day to remember the sacrifices made to realise our freedom. The price our fore-fathers paid to achieve it is not meager. It was not just the Mahatma or his leutenant Nehru who got us the freedom. It was a national achievement by the collective efforts of innumerable citizens both at home and abroad. Patriotism is not anyone's monopoly. Anyone who is true to India is patriotic. Anyone who pays his tax is patriotic. Anyone who doesn't budge for corruption is patriotic. Its every parents responsibility to give the nation a responsible citizen.

Every parent shud teach them the truth. Teach them the philosophies of both Bose and Gandhi, Patel and nehru. And Teach them not to do their blunders. We have enough of them.

We need to take an oath. We will not do the same historical blunders and resolve the present crisises. Like,

- Prithviraj Chauhan let a defeated Mahmud Ghori go scott free only to be killed by the same bugger later. India's sense of forgiveness shud not come at times of war. When you hit the opponent, hit him hard, so that he perishes or never even dares to think of us again.
- Dara Shikoh did the same mistake and got murdered by Aurangazeb
- Similarly The Vijayanagar empire got betrayed and went down inspite of winning and leaving them free.
- Indian fought fellow-Indian and permitted the wily European to bleed the nation dry
- After a few mongols invaded china, the chinese started building the Great wall of China. Not by a single king. but, by a series of kings over a century. Why weren't that kind of unity among us then? Why didn't we build the Great wall of India to prevent invation from persia?
- The natural wall in the name of Himalayas in the north is turning into a natural weapon for China now. What are we going to do for that? Are we going to heal it after we get burnt? or are we going to inject vaccination before something happens?
- We shud have the killer instinct like Subash Chandra Bose and not be like him in not having a good second rung leadership.
- We shud not quit like he quit the INC after a difference with Gandhi. If not for that, the history would have been different today.
- We shud not give up like Patel did when Nehru took charge of kashmir issue in 1948.
- We are here to stay, we are here to make India a better place to live in, a place to be dreamt of like Baaber used to dream about India in his childhood days.
- We shud not allow another Jinnah, Nehru and gandhi to split us in the name of religion.
- We need to teach Vande Maataram along with Janagana mana.
- Teach the forgotten song "Kadam Kadam Badayega", which was INA's inspiring song. [A very rare one]
- "The nation is bigger than the individual" --- We shud tattoo this in
our heart. Thaayinum peridu Thaayagam, iduve nam thaaraga mantram.

Like Martin Luther King said, we have a dream, and in the end, we shall overcome. Yes, the hope still lives, and the dream shall never die. For all of us. Never Never Never Give up !!!

Think Big and Dare to Dream. The future is ours. We cannot rewrite India's history. But, we can surely make India's future history.

Jai Hind .


Murali