This year is a special one. This is the 75th year of our freedom. It gives a reason and an opportunity to recall the great sacrifices made by our Freedom fighters. There is a reason why we should recall and remember them and their sacrifices. The governance in India started winding down after the second world war. It became certain that the British will not continue to rule 0ur country for a long time in future. But when they will go and in what state they will leave our country became uncertain. Knowing the potentialities of our country Britain didn’t want to leave us without any chaos. This is because they didn’t want us become their nemesis in the future. The last couple of years of their rule were spent solely in creating an atmosphere of utter chaos in the civil society. When we got freedom, the situation was not a comfortable one to rule. Soon after the independence India was forced into a war with its erstwhile part and new enemy Pakistan. The war lasted for more than an year. Then in 1962 Our country was again forced into a war with the Chinese. Both these wars were not our making. This unexpected war left our country in bruises. Before we could recover from the vagaries of this war within three years, in 1965 we waged a war with Pakistan again. Then again in 1971 a war with Pakistan which left them battered. Knowing very well that cannot beat us in regular war, they carried on covert war after that, instigating many secessionist movements like the Khalistan. This was till 1999, when they again indulged in their usual audacity when they sent their men as mercenaries to attack us in Kargil. The antagonism between Hindus and Muslims was one of the most significant works of the British administration. It has impacted the way our country is being administered in the last 7 decades. Not only the Hindu - Muslim divide but also the fractures in our society among Hindus themselves was also engineered to perfection during the British days. Thus, the administration in independent India was not a path filled with roses. Insurgencies, narco-terrorism, secessionist movements, cyber terrorism, caste and communal politics, the hostile atmosphere among various communities which was engineered to create dissension in the society, linguistic chauvinism, regional parochialism, all these are intended to undermine the sovereignty of our country. It will be difficult for the administration to handle these threats on its own. The civil society’s support is needed to tackle all these. The single antidote which will help us fight all these is Nationalism. There is no better source of infusing Nationalism to our people than recalling the valiant stories of the freedom struggle. The remarkable incidents which shaped the freedom struggle are to be retold to our younger generations time and again. We should also remember to tell them about the unsung heroes of our freedom movement. We should make them understand that it is a concerted effort by people from all parts of our country. The internal and external security of our Nation can be safeguarded in the times to come, only by doing this mammoth task of re igniting the patriotic fervour among our people.
V.V.Balasubramanian
YB-ET
