Prime Minister of India has called for the campaign “Har Ghar Tirangaa” to mark the 75th anniversary of India’s freedom from British rule and colonial exploitation. Under the tutelage of “Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav”, the campaign is aimed to encourage citizens to bring and hoist the Tiranga in their homes as to celebrate 75th year of Independence. The campaign also extends an opportunity for realisation that despite the crude adversity and inhuman plight of common citizens during partition in the name of Religion, we have evolved as a “Nation”. More importantly, a vibrant “Democratic Nation”.
In the
past several years, the relationship of a common "Indian" with the “Tiranga” assumed to be more
as formal and institutional. The personal and emotional bond was somehow
missing. Har Ghar Tirangaa campaign expected to bring a special and expressive
touch, collectively as a nation, that would symbolize an act of
personal connection of a common man with the Tiranga and also an embodiment of our commitment
towards nation-building. The idea behind the initiative is to invoke the
feeling of patriotism in the hearts of the Indians and to promote awareness
about the importance and our identity with Indian National Flag.
Respect and honor to respective flag generates a sense of association with one's Nation is real and true all over the world. Every nation has its flag that marks its identity and somehow contribute to connect its people with that identity across the globe. Nation’s flags have their unique names as well that are generally in the respective national languages. Every nation has its protocols too to hoist and display their National flag, which their citizens are expected to follow. We all know India’s national flag is “Tirangaa”, means Tricolor. The “Tirangaa” has three colors, Saffron, White and Green and a blue wheel at its centre with 24 spokes, taken from Ashok, the great emperor's, Dhamm Chakra.
Mr. Pingali Venkayya presented and proposed the first standard flag to Mahatma Gandhi in 1921 that had two stripes, green and red, and the Gandhian charkha at its centre. Mahatma Gandhi suggested Mr. Pingali to add a white stripe between saffron and green stripe and hence “Tirangaa” was designed, which became a mark of courage, peace and prosperity. Further, a resolution was passed during the Indian National Congress session in Vijayawada to adopt the “Tirangaa” as India's National Flag in 1931. Later, the Constituent Assembly, officially adopted the "Tiranga" as the National-flag for independent India on 22nd July 1947, which was first hoisted on August 15, 1947. What importance and value the Tiranga has in our lives as an Indian, this is the point to ponder, when we are celebrating the Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav.
Actually, taking an basic idea about the age statistics from the census 2011, we can safely assume that 75 years is a count, signifies that almost 90 percent of the Indian citizens at present are born post 1947. Secondly, considering the maximum retirement age in government and related services of 65 years, we may infer that almost all the personals in the government(s), bureaucracy, judiciary, educational institutions, business, technology, corporations media and all other field that having a stake and responsibility for day to day business are born in post British Rule. Therefore, present citizens grew up without seeing the Whites as their Masters and Lords, therefore this generation is really free from the administrative foes or the slave sycophancy of the Britishers. Citizens are “doing” or “not doing” their business by simply enjoying the democratic rights and cultural values, many times without even taking cognizance of it. Moreover, living in a maintained law and order situation, enjoying the available infrastructure, opportunity for freely doing trade and employment , getting modern education etc are the typical advantages for being born in India. These simple but emphatic opportunities are not enjoyed by more than half of the world population.
A born Indian is entitled, by default, to travel more than 32 lakh square km area of the land without visa and passport, can enjoy to see and relish all kind of land forms and weather, range of beaches in the long and varietyful costal lines, magnificient sand dunes in desert, high range of hills and mountains etc. Indians are blessed with variety of cuisine too, a range of art forms and aesthetics, plurality of accoutre and ornaments, range of social occasions and festivities. We also have an opportunity and advantage to learn and communicate in over 25 native languages and can speak over 2000 dialects at one point in time, isn’t this amazing.
However, this also generates a psychological situation that develop the notion among the natives to take the Nation as “For Granted. Any why not, we should take it for granted”, after all we are lucky enough to have born in a charismatic Nation like India. Living in a land of diversity that combines the people with political, linguistic, regional, religious diversities. The uniqueness is that, these differences of special diversity are not imposed on anyone, but are allowed to the citizens to enjoy at its choice. We are entitled to have our own opinions and can express it without a second thought that too is our strengths. However, this has also been noticed that sometime while opposing or agreeing to some thought or someone’s political, cultural or religious view, or many times merely for the small petty personal interests, and sometimes without any call we end up to oppose the Nation too, without realizing it. This is somehow the subtle and weak but slightly unpleasant part of taking the nation blessings “For granted”.
Now the term “Indian” hold a due a recognition across the world in a positive frame of affairs, we are rapidly advancing in defense and space technology, we are turning self-reliant on food grains and other basic consumables, successfully developing big corporations and providing CEOs to run overseas businesses too. We are inventing and manufacturing drugs and vaccines and saving lives of people across the world. Taking strides in digital technology and covered almost every aspect viz. finance, property, medical, transport and all spheres of life with digital interventions. Digitization has enhanced systematic efficiency and control over systems of a common Indian. This is the nation that has biometric identification of almost all the people living in this godly land. Rapidly improving surface, air and water transport systems, world class higher educational intuitions are available and creating new ones as well. we are neither dependent nor expecting any foreign grants and welfare funding to fulfil our basic needs, rather we are extending welfare funding to poor nations.
We have threats and challenges too, and few are really severe and real. Some are large enough in nature and can be dealt by governments only, but few can be eased only by setting attune our social and community behaviors. The challenges for our government and policy makers are in the form of rapidly rising population, threat of terrorism and radicalization, rising ecological and environment issues etc. Isn’t this amazing that we are adding an equal number of people of Australia per year to our population, spending a lot of time and energy in counter terrorism efforts, spiking life style and pollution borne health issues causing increase in incidences of heart, lungs and cancer and other fatal diseases. One more critical issue that encountering the bonding of our nation, but still not considered as an issue is the use of socially dividing fundamentals such as caste, religion, language as an effective tool to mobilize the communities in media promotions and elections social arrangements. The religion and community-based affiliations many times leads to social distrust. No one remained untouched with such dividing parameter, whether it is urban or rural, rich or poor, educated and uneducated etc. Apart from population explosion, national security and environmental issues, these are the critical areas where Governments has to act and respond more strongly and responsibly to build Nation solid from within.
We, as
a citizen also need to grow and keep abreast ourselves with changing development
dimensions and needs and sharing of spaces in growing urban settings and prudent use of resources and facilities. As
a citizen we have to be more sensitive towards general rules that enacted for
maintaining law and order, traffic systems, clean vicinities and garbage management,
prudent and lawful use of the means of communications and internet etc.
Today,
we have an opportunity to celebrate the “Har Ghar Triranga” campaign as
a festival that would unite us as a Stronger nation, Connected society and Responsible
citizen. We have all that we can make this Nation “Bharat”, internationally known
as “India” into the live example of regional solidarity, Economic possibilities
and Strongly defended.
Jai Hind
Digvijay
Trivedi
India
+91 94506 42185
Extending Thanks: Photo and data
extracted from internet and government websites.
Very well written !!!
ReplyDeletethank you very much.
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