By: Dr. Moahmmad Aleem, Chief News Editor, ICN Group
NEW DELHI: God has always been so kind to the mankind that He bestowed upon every community, religion and peoples some special days to celebrate and feel happy and proud. For Indians, there are though many such occasions, but two days are the most important in our modern life, and those two days are the Independence Day and Republic Day, which we celebrate with much gaiety, love and fanfare on 15th August and 26th January every year uninterruptedly. It gives us a moment to feel proud and a sense to live with dignity. We truly feel happy about our great legacy which we have been bequeathed to us by our great forefathers.
The Independence Day brings this feeling that we are not a subjugated country anymore and free to enjoy and lead our lives as we wish. And the Republic Day reminds us that we are a peace loving nation bound by some ethics, codes and laws and those laws have been duly written in our constitution by our prodigious lawmakers.
Since the last many years, as the things are unfolding in the country, as a peace loving citizen, we fee somehow threatened about our democratic and secular character. I don’t blame any government directly. But all those governments which are at the helm of the affairs are surly responsible for any direct and indirect harm to its every citizen. It is easier to say that we guarantee full right to live with self-esteem to every citizen, but difficult to implement on the ground level.
Of late, many such issues have been cropped up suddenly. We see that there are groups of people who look hell-bent to gag our every free voice in the country; either it is films, books, and other walks of life.
However, we cherish our secular and pluralistic values a lot. Our constitution also glorifies this nation as a democratic and secular country where every religious communities and sects are free to live as they desire and they have full constitutional rights to lead their lives.
If this tendency could not be checked at this moment, no doubt, it would spiral into a major problem in future. Have we not seen those countries where chauvinism and religious bigotry have damaged the whole fabric as a stable nation? We are living so close to Afghanistan, Pakistan, Middle Eastern countries, Burma etc. where the lives of people have become so cheap that it looks even cheaper than a weed on the hedge.
But, it is also not the moment to feel sad and gloomy. It gives us a chance to feel proud when we read time-to-time that our country is going to become a world economic power soon. But this economic prowess will be able to provide bread and butter to every citizen respectfully?
This year, the Republic Day has become truly special in one more sense. Our country has invited all members of the Asian countries to come and rejoice with us during this great celebration and discourse over the issues which we are confronting together like terrorism, religious intolerance, deteriorating health of the environment, security and economy.
This is the really a good chance to change our image before the world. If we did not so, our posterity would surely blame to us for all their shortcomings and fallacies in the future.
To conclude, I would like to quote a famous Urdu poet, Tariq Matin, who says:
Chalo Ke hakeem-e-alaa se chal ke puchte hain
Yeh abtari jo rahegi watan ka keya hoga
Hamin se surkhiye daar-o-rasan hai, Tariq
Hamin na honge to daar-o-rasan ka keya hoga
Let’s go and ask to our chief administrator of the country, what will happen if the wind of malice and hatred keeps blowing in the country. The redness is due to us to the gallows and the stake and rope, O Tariq. If we are not alive, then, what will happen to the gallows and the stake and rope?
