The Most Cherishable Freedom

Rousseau has rightly remarked ‘Man is born free but everywhere he is in chains’. We all love our freedom and this can very well be called the most treasured thing. Imagine being a slave, and then only can we judge the extent of significance of this precious freedom. It was on August 15, 1947 that India won its freedom from the British empire. India was declared a Sovereign State when the Constitution was enforced on January 26, 1950. Today we celebrate the 60^th Republic Day of our country, with its magnificent and unparalleled parade on the Rajpath in New Delhi.

Here I present for my readers some most cherished quotes of the Indian leaders about freedom:

“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.”                                                   

– Jawahar Lal Nehru, the first Prime Minister of India.

“We end today a period of ill fortune and India discovers herself again. The achievement we celebrate today is but a step, an opening of opportunity, to the greater triumphs and achievements that await us. Are we brave enough and wise enough to grasp this opportunity and accept the challenge of the future?”                                             - Jawahar Lal Nehru

“We must re-dedicate ourselves on this day to the peaceful but sure realisation of the dream that had inspired the Father of our Nation and the other captains and soldiers of our freedom struggle, the dream of establishing a classless, co-operative, free and happy society in "his country," "We must remember that this is more a day of dedications than of rejoicing - dedication to the glorious task of making the peasants and workers the toilers and the thinkers fully free, happy and cultured”           -Dr. Rajendra Prasad, the first President of India

We must learn to cherish our freedom and also make it a point that we help others in doing so. We have to respect others’ freedom too. What needs to be kept in mind always is that our freedom is not absolute. The limit of our freedom ends where the boundary of the other’s freedom begins. So respect others. And as Mahatma Gandhi said, “We must become the change we want to see.”