As India finished seventy-three years of being unshackled, one cannot help but wonder if our ancestors who made iron-clad sacrifices in hopes of our freedom, would be proud of us. Sure, there have been many ups and downs, many false hopes and acts of aggression but, what we have realised in the 21st century is the absolute freedom of thought. I believe this is what makes us all unite regardless of the generation, in the Indian freedom experience.
If time could speak, it would tell a fabulous tale of how Indian talent made the great odyssey from censure, repression, latency and finally a great big blossoming. We are truly blessed to call ourselves as ‘Indians’ in an age where self-expression is unabashed and truly free. Whenever I think of the core definition of freedom, I think of ‘movement’, and Sampita Pramanik, a
profession Bharatnatyam choreographer and model carves my statement in gold. On August 9th, she released a video of her dancing to A.R Rahman’s resoundingly touching song ‘Maa Tujhe Salaam’, as her way of celebrating independence. Her pride in our nation is reflected in all her utterly graceful movements.
When I think of movement, I also think of the ever-talented Mohan sisters; Shakti and Mukti. Their fervour is displayed in ‘nritya tribe’, a new dance form they have created by gaining inspiration from the traditional folk dances of our nation. In the spirit of India’s 73rd Independence day, these delightful dancers chose to show us a facet of our great cultural persona. They have successfully managed to marry our cultural roots to the information age of the 21st century.
One simply cannot underappreciate the importance of art, lyrics, sound and poetry in our freedom struggle, which is why I found myself extremely moved as I heard the lyric ‘Sar sarzameen ke naam hai’ by Aasa Singh. It felt as if the old poets of yore were smiling in their spirits after seeing the greatest singers of our country unite in the video of his composition.
In the end, I can only hope that we never forget the struggle to get us here and make it our mission to always carry the freedom of thought in whatever we may accomplish.
Jai Hind!
