Independence

Little did the pompous British know
That when it was time for them to go,
Each colony which broke away
Would give themselves a holiday.

Independence Days now dot the globe,
They light distant lands as if by strobe.
From one to another, and then a rush,
The earth incandescent; in full flush.

The British Empire when at its best
Even the sun didn’t get time to rest.
From east to west, from coast to coast,
It was forced to guard each British post.

At last now, this mighty orb can sleep.
No longer is it a British keep.
So freedom from harsh British hands
Brought the sun to other lands.

You must go this day to fly your kites,
Pack your picnic with scrumptious bites.
But forget not under this friendly sun
We didn’t get our freedom just for fun.

Before the lyrical midnight speech,
Our founders had done well to preach.
The need for rules, so we accomplish
Liberty for all, once out the British.

India’s National leaders long debated,
Remarkably, from the dust created
A Constitution that has stood the test,
Making India one of democracy’s best.

Our freedom movement was unlike the rest,
For peace and democracy fired our quest.
No guns were fired, no bombs were hurled.
It’s a standing lesson to the world.
See atop that fort, the glorious flag,
The four breezes never let it sag.
To the steady pole it flutters and streams,
Like the Constitution girds all our dreams.

After long decades of structured loot
When colonisers finally got the boot,
It was not grimy wealth that people won,
Nor to brag at what they’d done.

For the first time they were free to think
How best to pull back from the brink.
Equal in law, but in fact we were not,
This may’ve put democracy in a spot.
Every step thoughtful, just and right
Governance is never a show of might.
Should freedom linger on in euphoria,
It would trap us all in a fake Utopia.
Yet, some nations when independent
Went carnivalesque, and wildly spent.
Splurging what little was left behind,
Instead of building with wit and mind.

India stood out clearly from the rest,
She urged in passioned tones her best.
Instantly they came as if on call
To make citizens of us, one and all.

No bossy dictators or their little trolls,
Nor tinsel lapels and drum rolls.
If India was democratic from the start.
It lucked with leaders with head and heart.

Just being anti-colonial will not do,
We must step up for a clearer view.
How freedom can truly change our lives,
Give each dignity, so our nation thrives.

India now has every capacity
To stare down the world with audacity.
To claim our place as a leading light
Redeeming a vow made at midnight.

Our Constitution’s sights are on the weak,
Powering them to reach goals they seek.
Nor must a person any longer fear
A lonely heartbreak, or a wasted tear.

Democracy is loud, it blares at crowds.
People speak freely, no diktat shrouds
Political ambitions into cautious silence,
Fearing police and tyrannical violence.

Of course, no life is without travail,
Some will succeed some will fail.
Yet, fortune must not favour or scorn,
Whether poor, humble, or well born.

Millions too suffered centuries long,
Not for doing anything that was wrong.
Caste and gender ground their pride,
Into empty spaces for eons they cried.

Our freedom not just gave them hope.
Much more, it gave them strength to cope,
It gave them a helping hand to rise,
Protected them too from any reprise.

Nor could a citizen be unjustly blamed
Put in ball and chains or openly shamed.
The rule of law is prejudice blind,
Nor suffers brigands of any kind.
Lest we drift in careless thought
Forget what challenge it was to wrought,
A democracy which at once would strike
At past injustices and rise Phoenix like.
It might look simple now, but it was tough,
Stubbing backward customs wasn’t enough.
We had to blunt every tooth and claw
Not by a wanton stroke, but by law.

This some other nations failed to do,
Busy instead, in favouring a few
Despots adept at killing and theft,
Took over from where the British had left.

Few nations went through our birth pangs.
First Kashmir raided by Pakistan gangs,
Then border clashes in west and east
Made us war, which we wanted least.

The West said India was a basket case,
Its democracy was an utter disgrace.
A hungry, untrained country like ours
Should yield itself to higher powers.

The economic challenge we had to face,
We must wipe out poverty, yet embrace
An Independent policy that proudly acts,
To serve people first, not warlike pacts.

There were many hurdles, but we did climb,
We never treated differences as if a crime.
Whereas this could lead to much abuse,
We saw as assets our cultural hues.
We moved on gently, gently, year by year,
Often it seemed in reverse gear.
Not always sure what it meant to be
Self-sufficient and economically free.

Our Constitution was not cast in stone,
Pushing one policy and one policy alone.
There was room for other plans to grow,
So long as liberties were in tow.

A mighty oak will bend not break,
It has the will and power to take
Surging floods, the strongest winds,
Facing calmly both these fiends.

If somebody were to doubt our score,
Let us tell them that 140 crore
Have lived in peace and grown in wealth,
More literate now and in better health.
Praise our founders who didn’t once balk,
Willingly they walked their every talk
Yes, take off a day for fun and frolic
But much to do, so get back quick.

The Constitution made our Independence true,
Also made it joyous for me and you.

About The Author

Dipankar Gupta