- Where the mind is without fear and the head is held high,
- Where no one tells me what to eat, or what to wear, or where to live,
- Where cow protection doesn't become an excuse to attack the weak,
- Where no one justifies terrorism in the name of religion or azaadi,
- Where dissent is not criminalized or treated as an anti-national act,
- Where nationalism doesn't become a weapon to pit Indian versus Indian,
- Where the walls of prejudice and caste and community hatred melt away,
- Where our diversity is preserved, not destroyed by religious extremists
- Where we don't divide our freedom struggle to suit ideological positions,
- Where every Indian has equal opportunity irrespective of birth or position,
- Where the Adivasi in Jharkhand gets the same education as the elite in Mumbai,
- Where women feel safe on the streets and men commit to gender equality,
- Where gay men and women can safely and fearlessly pursue the right to love
- Where no farmer is pushed into committing suicide because of a debt trap or a failed crop,
- Where jawans are given their due and servicemen don't have to fast to get paid better,
- Where the young are inspired to become change-makers and live their dreams
- Where the corrupt are convicted and do not get away because of their manipulative skills,
- Where the hafta culture ends and the police don't misuse their powers
- Where corporates realise a social responsibility that goes beyond profiteering,
- Where journalists stand up and show truth to power rather than becoming stooges of the establishment or manic TRP warriors,
- Where lawyers and judges fight for justice and not for delaying it,
- Where doctors serve their patients and don't exploit them,
- Where bureaucrats become facilitators and not obstructionists in administration,
- Where our netas realise that the lal batti doesn't give them any special privileges,
- Where our leaders are not driven by self-love but public service,
- Where promises made at election time are meant to be kept, not broken
- Where we fight superstition and Godmen who claim to have divine powers
- Where sportspersons travel to Olympics in first class comfort and our officials stay at home,
- Where a more compassionate society looks to reach out to the poorest of the poor,
- Where no Indian goes to sleep on a hungry stomach and housing becomes a basic right for all,
- Where our rivers are clean and the air is not polluted
- Where Swacha Bharat is not just a slogan but a reality
- Where every Indian is proud to be Indian but isn't put through a daily patriotism test
- Into that heaven of freedom, let my country awake..
- Happy Independence Day! Jai Hind
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Rajdeep's poem is inspired by India's first Nobel Prize winner Rabindranath Tagore. |
Last updated: August 15, 2016 | 15:40