Jai Hind

Today is Indian Independence Day. Well, many freedom fighters sacrificed their lives for the freedom of India. The first was the fearless Rani of Jhansi. The Queen was a lady who originated  from humble beginnings .Her  life was plagued by the harassment meted out on her by the British establishment. The Rani is considered one of the first revolutionaries. She was fearless and never backed down to the British Establishment.

One of the traits common throughout the centuries was the manner in which Indians were hired and paid for by the British to spy on their own kind. Using this methodology, the British obtained intelligence on anyone they considered to be revolutionary. Using this intelligence, these revolutionaries were silenced. Those with radical ideas were assassinated. The British establishment has never ceased this trait  even to this day. Indeed, the thought pattern of "if we cannot beat them, we should join them" continues in  some asian sectors in the UK.  Bapio recently behaved  by  honouring an oppressor. No doubt this honour will ensure certain asians are fast tracked up the establishment ladder so they may merge with those that weald power and fame.There are some Indians who have no respect for those who sacrificed their lives so that we could all live as free people. 

After the infamous Rani of Jhansi who never backed down to the British establishment, there were people like Subhas Chandra Bose and Bhagat Singh. Here are some of the others.  The most famous man credited with bringing India to Independence is Mohandas K Gandhi. Unlike many others, Mohandas did not give the British Raj cause for complaint. Nevertheless, the British Raj was not happy.  His was a non violent approach to achieving freedom. One can say that, Gandhi finished what the Rani of Jhansi started and it shows us how each person plays a part towards achieving the final goal.

Many people forget the work of Bhagat Singh but I wanted to present some of his words written in a leaflet many years ago. In the leaflet he threw in the Central Assembly on 9 April 1929, he stated that

"It is easy to kill individuals but you cannot kill the ideas. Great empires crumbled while the ideas survived"

Jai Hind. Thankyou to all the freedom fighters who made it possible for us as Indians to live as free people.The Indian struggle for independence should inspire everyone in an oppressive situation. The key of course is never to give up and never to desert the principles instilled in us by our forefathers. It is vital to have respect for those who have laid down their lives for all of us. Freedom should never be taken for granted.