INDEPENDENCE

I was a 3 year old kid back then, when for the first time I saw the parade of Independence day, on a black and white T.V that we used to have. Independence was an alien word to me at that time, I was just startled by the fact that a huge number of people who were monochromatic lived in that small box(T.V) and I wasn't even aware of it. I didn't understand why everyone stood up to an instrumental tune all of a sudden, like why was it important? But being a good imitator, I just did the same. Somehow, the parade, the tunes, the songs, the flag, everything amused me. Once the function that was being aired on durdarshan was over, I tried to draw things that I saw that day, but just ended up scribbling on a paper, however, everyone appreciated me, calling it a masterpiece. Every year from then I never missed the function of Independence day. In course of time the monochromatic people got colours in them, and I understood why the instrumental tune was so important. When I was 7, the word Independence became familiar, the state of being free from being controlled by a person or a country is what we call Independence. "Does that mean I'm not independent?" I thought, because the elders controlled each and every action of mine, well with time I understood that it was a wrong perception of mine. Years went by and Independence got new definitions and new contradictions. At 11, I wondered, how are we independent, because there are different heads at different posts controlling our lives in different aspects? Well this time, people around me said, you need to have someone in power, otherwise it'll be tough for a body to function properly, just as your brain controls the other organs of your body. At 14, I questioned how Independence worked? Is it just being free from the control of someone? The answer to this question was my civics book, which stated that, India is a democratic country and Independence has a vast horizon, it included several rights, which not only provided freedom from being controlled by someone, but also provided freedom in various aspects, such as right to speak, right to being educated, etc. At 16, I came across Independence in a new way, when in a school event, the guest of honor, motivated us to be independent, what he meant was not being independent from the mastery of a person, but to be on our own, to be able to earn individually without depending on anybody, to hold a stand for ourselves, which made an huge impact on the audience. At present, Independence to me is something that doesn't hold you back from being the person you are, from thinking the way you do, be it a convention or a regulation, till the point you aren't wrong, you are independent to place yourself in front of this world. In my upcoming days, Independence will have new meanings but the question that whether or not I am independent still keeps hovering over my mind, because from the aspect of mentality weren't free from prejudices, the meaning that Independence now needs the most is broad-mindedness, the state of being independent from backward mentalities and prejudices.

HAPPY INDEPENDENCE DAY❤

~ Samriddhi Mitra