SIXTY ONE AND ONE

Today is India’s Independence Day. 61 years ago, Pandit Nehru spoke about India’s ‘tryst with destiny’. For the first time ever, he unfurled Independent India’s flag at the Red Fort in Delhi.

It was the re-birth, the re-awakening of a great ancient land, always one in spirit, as one politically, not as a kingdom or empire but as a nation of and for the people who rose to overthrow the mighty British Empire. No less significant was the overthrow of the many, mostly decadent princely states that were collectively responsible for the state that India had been reduced to before the likes of Mahatma Gandhi, Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose, Gokhale, Subramanium Bharati, Nehru, Maulana Azad, Sardar Patel, Bhagat Singh and countless other Indians, put their heart, soul and body to reclaim India once again.

Today is not just another holiday. Today is the day to pay a silent homage in our hearts to the many Indians for whom a Free India was the Great Dream for which they selflessly sacrificed a lot but never got to see. Today is the day for us to assure them that we have it in us to fulfil their dream in full measure. Today we have to remind ourselves that each one of has to do his bit so that India can truly keep its tryst with destiny and scale unprecedented heights of prosperity as well as international glory.

By a sheer coincidence, this blog has also completed a year in cyberspace. I started it on August 11 last year, thanks to the prodding of my brother. It appears unbelievable now, but then I had no idea of what blogosphere was all about or what I was going to write about here. The blog started as ‘Vinod Sharma’s World’ but after sometime, when it began to develop a clear shape and direction, fellow blogger Anrosh suggested that I should change the title. Thank you An.

“India Retold” was then born, thanks again to my brother who spontaneously suggested this title which clicked in my mind instantaneously. Thank you once more ‘Rocky’.

As India completes 61 years and ‘India Retold’ one, I take this opportunity to wish all my readers a Happy Independence Day and thank them for making my year old journey here so rewarding and fulfilling. Without your support, feedback and even silent but active involvement, many posts would never have been written, and many waves of thoughts would never have arisen and flown the way they have into the vast ocean of knowledge and information that blogosphere has become. Thank you all.