India prepares to celebrate its 67th Independence Day

New Delhi, Aug 10: India's history is replete with invaders from foreign lands who came to plunder its riches. As India gears up to celebrate its 67th anniversary of Independence Day, we take a look at issues from which India still needs to get independence. [See: http://www.oneindia.in/independenceday-2013/] Given the long journey the country undertook and the challenges it overcame, one should say the achievements are remarkable. The political freedom we achieved in 1947 was not a gift from the imperial British. It was the culmination of decades-old struggle led by revolutionaries like Mahatma Gandhi, Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose, Jawaharlal Nehru and Sardar Vallabhai Patel. Our country thus owes its independence to these true sons of our mother-land. Although, India is world's largest democracy, but, does it mean that we are free of challenges? Ironically, The term ‘independence' still remains a subjective thing. There are many grave issues from which our country needs to be liberated. Some of these acute problems are poverty, unemployment, illiteracy, corruption, violence against women among many more. Naxalism and terrorism in the name of religion are the issues that pose a great internal security threat to our nation. Rampant corruption is another key challenge. India urgently needs to check corruption if it wants to improve governance and the poor to benefit from government schemes. The nation is in the need of more modern revolutionaries like Anna Hazare, Arvind Kejriwal and Narendra Modi, who can bring much-needed reforms in India and set a positive vision for the next generation. The anti-corruption crusader Anna Hazare is going to the US to take part in India's Independence day parade in New York on August 18. "I got an invitation for attending the parade, and I am going to take part in it," Anna said. Poverty, everybody agrees, is the greatest challenge. The focus of the governance should be poverty eradication. The recent case of deaths of children in Bihar due to mid-day meal is a stark reality of poverty. How corruption and ulterior motives of some people engulfed the lives of innocent children. These are certain key challenges the country is facing. The government's role should be on the fore-front to tackle these problems, while encouraging unity among all the citizens because this will be the country's greatest test of independence in the 21st Century. Although, various schools, colleges and communities celebrate the Independence Day by singing patriotic songs and enacting dramas on freedom struggle, but the real celebration of this can be made only when each and every individual of this society rise above self-interests and walks on the path of honesty and instill moral values in them. Besides India, Korea, Congo and Liechtenstein also celebrate their Independence Day on August 15 every year.

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