NOT YET INDEPENDENT

Yes I believe that my country is not yet completely independent. The British left us to celebrate our independence but perhaps we were so used to being ruled, that we replaced their rule with the rule of religion to dominate us. We fib about suppressions and pacify our disturbed selves using paradoxical statements like ‘Unity in Diversity’ and continue to get hurt in matters of minorities and majorities.

Our religions have made us violent and demeaned our humanity, promoting us to separate ourselves from our brothers and sisters who simply worship another Avatar of the same One God.

Of course it feels sad to continue in the bondage of some beliefs and traditions, but I believe for sure that someday soon my country will rise above petty differences; and till then I will continue to celebrate in the memory of great men and women who had the will to dare.

Till then on national holidays there will be a lot of sound of loud patriotic music and fury of frustrations not signifying much since the blood of the martyrs for us has largely been only the red mark on our calendars. One day soon for sure, the symbol of our freedom, the tri-colour we hold in our hands, will flutter in the breeze of understanding and then every man and woman in my country will wrap themselves up in an orange shirt of fearlessness until it will burn their hearts to the extent of insisting on a change in the lives of our rape victims, molested children, the left alone aged and many more sufferers.

Protecting themselves from the biting cold of archaic ideologies, they will wear a white coat to do away with all impurities of thoughts and deeds. They also won’t hesitate to wear green pants and tread gently on my mother earth even if the others will laugh at their attempts to save this dying planet.

And over their heads they will wear a blue cap in memory of cleansing waters which will flow wave after wave towards them washing away any clashing pebbles of divisions gathered on the shores of their lives.

Then oh yes, we all will be certainly free and boldly cut off all the shackles of bondage and call ourselves truly independent.