Thinking About Independence

Today, the I5th day of August, India celebrates its Independence day!!! Sixty four years ago, when I was yet even to be conceived, India got its independence from British rule, a dominance for about two centuries. Common people like me never knew the meaning of independence or freedom, though some might have participated in the freedom struggle. But do we agree unequivocally about the meaning of Independence/freedom even today? That calls for some critical thinking!!!! Let's first of all go through the common perception as proclaimed by a national newspaper, the Times of India, in the issue of this day last year. In an article on its first page it was written: In their 63rd year of independence, most Indians not only see heavily-armed security forces as the true safeguards of freedom but also have no problem with the government monitoring their phonecalls, emails and bank accounts. Blame it on a series of terror attacks, on growing fears that the Kashmir issue is spiralling out of control, or on perceptions that our neighbourhood is increasingly hostile, but a TOIIMRB survey reveals huge insecurity among professional, young Indians in the metros. The survey, conducted faceto-face in Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai and Bangalore, reveals the startling extent to which young Indians associate their individual freedom with the might of the state. Nearly 40% said the security forces were the true guarantors of freedom and nearly 25% said it was the

media, leaving only 7% to repose faith in politicians. Asked what they considered the most significant attribute of freedom, the majority (28%) voted for the freedom to move freely; only 27% thought it was the freedom to vote in elections. The right to protest, which many democratic societies might see as one of the most crucial aspects of freedom, ranked last from among the six choices. The survey also reveals the conflict between new and old and that lines seem to blur even in urban young India with 58% people disapproving of khap panchayats but a startling 30% saw them as protectors of our values. TOI-IMRB I-DAY SURVEY Freedom means 28% say its about moving freely 27% say its the right to vote 4% say its the right to protest Secure state vs Privacy 53% approve of government tapping phones and reading emails 19% support this for suspected terrorists Who safeguards freedom 38% say it is security forces 24% say it is journalists 7% say it is politicians VIP culture vs Equality 60% say the preferential treatment goes against the idea of freedom 38% think it is justified I am not surprised. We indians have never been educated about independence or freedom. Remember most of our leaders who led the freedom movement, say Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi, or Jawahar Lal Nehru, learnt it during their education abroad. Otherwise for most of Indians freedom only meant to be free to eat and wear what they want. So the freedom movement gained momentum only when the British government enacted the salt tax laws, or the conditions of service in the East India Company's army and cantonments increasingly came into conflict with religious beliefs and prejudices of the foot soldiers (the sepoys).The predominance of members from the upper castes in the army, loss of caste due to overseas travel, and rumours of secret designs of the Government to convert them to Christianity led to deep discontentment among the sepoys. The sepoys were also disillusioned by their low salaries and racial discrimination vis-a-vis British officers in matters of promotion and privileges. The indifference of the British towards Indian rulers like the Mughals and ex-Peshwas and the annexation of Oudh were political factors triggering dissent amongst Indians. Dalhousies policy of annexation, the doctrine of lapse or escheat, and the projected removal of the descendants of the Great Mughal from their ancestral palace to the Qutb, near Delhi also angered some people. Otherwise,the grandparents of most of us who enjoy the fruits of independence today, were quite comfortable with the British Raj, because it did not interfere with their individual greed and aspirations. Isn't it a somewhat similar situation even today? The difference is only the ruling class; then it was the gora saheb today it is the government that is deeply infected with sycophancy and nepotism. Then the colour of the skin of the rulers was stark white today it

has a brownish tinge, but their thinking is almost similar. They rule us with all the advantages they enjoy through their right to sycophancy and nepotism!! I remember reading an article published in the newspaper I habitually read, a author P V Vaidyanathan wrote: Most of us would say that we do have free will. We can do anything we wish. If we want to wear a red shirt instead of a blue one, we can. If we want to eat a sandwich instead of a pizza, we can. If we want to take off from work and sit at home today, we can. If we want to marry the girl or boy we love, we can. If we have enough money, we can buy any house, car or gadget. Likewise, we can travel wherever we want to. Obviously, it looks as if free will exists. According to Ramesh Balsekar, all the choices that we make are from the act of exercising the will. How free is free will Whatever we call free will or choice is finally determined by a mix of two things, nature and nurture, or by our heritage and conditioning . We cant choose our parents, and hence we have no choice over the genetic material they gift to us. Also, from birth, we are exposed to conditioning and belief systems . These are required for survival. In the process of growing up, we are conditioned and led to believe a great many things by family, friends and strangers, the media, commercials, books and what-have-you . As an adult, we are thus a mixture of our genetics and all these conditionings . This is our programming, our code. And all our decisions, our choices, our thoughts and acts, originate from this programmed mind. A part of this programming is done by nature and the environment does the rest of it. Really, there is nothing sacred or pure about our decisions. But, can any nation, howsoever big and powerful really claim that it is fully independent today? Everyone has to depend on the international market to procure essential commodities that it does not/or cannot produce itself. It has to depend on international financial institutions for finance to get them .In addition every one depends on each other for technologies, services and knowledge that are better available in other nations! Still there's a lot that its citizens can do to minimize such dependence. Today, in the Independent India, we who belong to its elite and educated class are free to indulge in conspicuous consumption, reckless behaviour, to care as little as we wish to our compatriots and exploit those who are much less lucky then ourselves. We are free to break law as our whim demands, because we know that the wealth that our parents have accumulated over years can help us get away from the due punishment. We are free to indulge in all kinds of corruption and dishonesty. We enjoy our independence, because we sincerely believe that All is Well !!! Care to read a bit more, then read my latest essay Thinking About Freedom!!! Three cheers for the Independent India!!! Rakesh Mohan Hallen