It’s been 69 years since India’s Independence Day. Over the years, politicians, the quality of life and the country have changed. Some things have become better, some others have taken a worse turn, people’s spirit had taken a beating, but they never gave up.
Despite all the problems that plague modern India, people from various walks of life talk about why the country is special to them and what makes them proud to be an Indian.
K.T. Rama Rao, IT minister, Telangana State
The unity in diversity is what makes me proud of India. Apart from that, our heterogeneous composition and the ability to co-exist peacefully despite the numerous divergent philosophies, castes, languages, religions and ideologies makes India unique. It also shows our maturity as a nation and a model democracy.
Kinjarapu Rammohan Naidu, Telugu Desam MP, Srikakulam
The diversity of India makes me proud. There is a huge geographical, regional, cultural, linguistic, religious and political diversity, but that we still unite and coexist is something to be proud of. One unique feature is our culture that dates back to ages.
Smita Sabharwal, IAS, Additional Secretary to Chief Minister of Telangana
I am proud of our unity in diversity. We share a sense of compassion and work ethics which makes each citizen enjoy the same liberty and environment. The sense of equality helps us view all people in the same light, irrespective of their caste and creed.
D. Nageshwar Reddy, Chairman, Asian Institute of Gastroenterology
I am proud that in spite of all the problems we have, we still continue to be a democratic nation in the world. We are bound by the rules which are equal for everybody. All thanks to our country that we still have family values and culture.
Vijay Deverakonda, Tollywood actor
India is special because India is our home. During my two-week shoot in Italy and Belgium recently I realised that we are extremely tolerant and close-knit amidst the myriad cultures and religions, when compared to any other country. The atmosphere is warm and welcoming. We address strangers as uncle, aunty, anna or bhaiyya. We even celebrate each other’s festivals irrespective of the differences that crop up. In India, I feel free to practise my beliefs, I feel secure, loved, entertained and powerful to question and make choices.
Through the ages Indian civilisation has had a significant impact on others. India is just not a country, but a subcontinent. People, cultures and religions existing in harmony is something unique to our country. I am sure the rest of the world would look up to us for belonging to this magnificent subcontinent. We should raise the voice of India to a level that it is awed by the rest of the world. — Dr G.V. Rao, Chief of GI and minimally invasive surgery, Asian Institute of Gastroenterology
India has so many ethnic minorities and cultures and you won’t be able to find a country with such variety. Apart from that, I feel that we are patient folk. We have so much patience that we even wait for political reforms. Despite travelling across the world, India is special to me because of the communication between people and the bonds we share. — Ravinder Reddy, artist
Decoding the Tricolour
Saffron
Saffron signifies selflessness, renunciation and courage. It also signifies absolution of ego. It was meant to remind the political leadership to work without the want of material gains and for the nation’s good.
White
White is symbolic of honesty, purity and peace. It also, to some extent, represents cleanliness, which was a cause very close to Gandhiji. Politically, this colour was supposed to remind the political class to maintain the state of peace in India.
Green
Green represents fertility and prosperity. It reminds us of the rich fertile soil of our nation. It is also supposed to remind the political class to protect the soil of this nation from all enemies.
Blue of the Ashok Chakra
The Ashok Chakra is a symbol of progressiveness. The 24 spokes represent the 24 hours of a day, which is a reminder for the political class to work on progressive ideas 24 hours a day, for the betterment of the nation. The blue of the chakra represents that the progress of the nation should be limitless like the blue sky and the seas.
Trivia about the Constitution of India
The Constitution of India took 880 days to be drafted and adopted by the Parliament. The world’s largest democracy also has the world’s longest Constitution with 1,46,385 words. Moreover, every word and piece of artwork in the Constitution is handwritten. It is a collective effort of three artists and the original copy was written in Hindi and English. When it came to signing the Constitution, our first President Rajendra Prasad saw that Jawaharlal Nehru had signed before him. Ideally the President should sign it first, maybe that is why he created a space above Nehru’s signature and signed above it. Talk about freedom of expression!
The Constitution guarantees a lot of freedom to the citizens of this country, which at the time, the politicians were supposed to enforce. Reading them today, however, will make a few of them sound a bit sarcastic. Freedom of speech and expression, freedom to move freely throughout India, freedom to manage religious affairs without political bias and right of each child to get free education. With all that has been happening in the past few years, maybe our politicians need a revision of the Constitution.
— Compiled by Saharssh
Source: indpaedia.com
