A place without any social evils, with hundred percent literacy rate, with people with civic sense, with a clean environment, a place with all the facilities… This was the dream of Jawaharlal Nehru, Gandhi ji, Rabindra Nath Tagore, Gangadhar Tilak, or any other freedom fighter, who worked with their own lives at stake for our country. But today, this is not only a dream, but is a need to be fulfilled. I wonder, is this the same country that I’ve been reading about in history? The same country where people gave their lives to leave behind an independent India just so that it can get exploited by our own hands rather than by the hands of the British? Yes, the British have left our country, but we continue to ruin our country by the same hands that made India free – the hands of Indians. Did we shoo away British from our land just to see a country full of social evils, illiteracy, lack of civic sense, a dirty environment, and a place with most of the facilities but all of them in a bad condition? The freedom fighters left a free India for us, but now it is our responsibility to take care of it. I hear a lot in the news about new methods the government is using for the country, but I’ve seen too less in practice. After all there is drainage in our system. There are corrupt officers sitting on the seats on which once sat the most truthful and loyal officers. We are given freedom of speech, but when anyone dares to speak anything against a politician, why is there a current flow of threats at his place? Why do the politicians use the power of religion and domicile during elections even though ours is a secular country and it is clearly mentioned in the constitution. Our nation is being given in the hands of some of the worst representatives and it is not only the fault of the politicians, but also our fault. We elect such people knowing that they are not good for the country based on the caste. Why do we forget that we need representatives to represent our state in the parliament, not our religion or caste? But the good rulers also won’t be able to work without our bit of support. Even if they pass a bill announcing child marriage as an illegal act, who is going to convince the huge mass of people living in the country side to stop following this practice. We need to realize that our mind sets should change along with the time. If our minds are in the 18th century and are living in the 21st century, it is not going to help us. Moving with the time is the best anyone can do for their country. The politicians will improve only after we improve as we are the ones who elect them. Our country is developing in the field of technology, but it is limited to only a number of people as half of the population lives in poverty. Even if it is reached to everyone, the government forgets about its responsibility of maintaining it. Education is a must for every child, but we still see children serving tea at a tea stall. If the streets are dirty, everyone complains, but why do they forget that they were the ones to spread garbage on the road. After all, the government for sure did not come and put garbage there. This is the truth that government is doing nothing to keep the streets clean in small cities, but even this is the truth that not even the public realizes its responsibility of keeping the roads clean. There are many flaws in our country and it is in our hands to lead our country towards the best. We lack nothing but that feeling of nationalism and patriotism that people before 1947 had. Once we realize the importance of our country, just like they did, everything will get all right. Some day or the other, this will happen. A new revolution will rise again. This time, not to protect our country from exploitation by British, but to save our country from the exploitation that we ourselves are causing to it. The time will come when the vision of all the other freedom fighters will come true. The dream of where the mind is without fear and the head is held high will be fulfilled.
