Free India battles new challenges

The hard-earned freedom was all worth it but we have devils within the system to fight, say young Indians.

The guard of honor

As India marches into its 65th year of independence, the people who fought tooth and nail for the freedom feel this is not the nation of their dreams and are troubled by the all-pervading culture of corruption.

Captain S.S. Yadav, a 93-year-old freedom fighter who served in the Indian National Army (INA) of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose, feels that the country has progressed a lot in the last six decades, but corruption too has increased exponentially. "Corruption has bugged our administrative system badly and I really feel ashamed when youngsters ask me if we fought for the freedom to provide them a corrupt system," said Yadav.

Soldiers marching with the Red Fort in background

Ask them about the significance of the flag they hold in their hands and you see a dozen puzzled eyes. For these children, freedom is the day they and their families have a complete meal.

Decorative floats as a part of the Republic Day Parade.

Portraits of freedom fighters.

So what does independence mean to him? He responds: "It means an opportunity to work selflessly for the nation and serve its people. But where is that seen today? Today no one can get their work done without bribery."

Octogenarian Pratima Kaushik, who spent two months imprisoned along with her two brothers in Lahore, fondly remembers moments spent in jail, fervently singing patriotic songs with the hopes of a free India. She feels that India has got independence but people have failed to understand the real meaning of 'azadi'.

"Independence is not the way should have been...there is widespread corruption and back-stabbing. Many times, I think I made a mistake in fighting for the nation and that it was not worth it," quips Kaushik.

"Everyone fought for freedom with great enthusiasm. Today, the development we see is the fruit of that very struggle. The freedom struggle continues against communalism and corruption," says Shashi Bhushan, 88, a Padma Bhushan awardee.

Bel Bahadur, 86, was only 18 when he enrolled in the INA's Rangoon training centre. Reminiscing about those days of the freedom struggle, he says: "A lot of sacrifices have gone into the gaining of our country's independence and this must be always remembered." Bahadur reflects that over the years, citizens' love for the country and patriotism have declined.

"Petty politics is the reason that today no one heeds the nation or serves its needs," he adds.

However the young urban Indians are upbeat about their freedom and see corruption as the most serious threat to it than even terrorism or poverty.

Quoting further from an eight-city survey done by The Times of India and Synovate, a global market research agency of young Indians, while they cherish the many freedoms India offers, they also have rather clear-cut concerns about what ails it.

Those in the 18-25 age group in eight of India's biggest cities are also extremely appreciative of Anna Hazare but still see Sachin Tendulkar as the ultimate role model and India's triumph in the 2011 cricket World Cup as the country's biggest achievement in a decade, ahead of the high growth rates the economy has posted.

It's a measure of the extent to which corruption has captured mindspace in recent months that it is seen as a bigger threat to the country than terrorism, which in fact ranked third on the list behind caste and communal violence in second place, but ahead of poverty.

It's perhaps a generation thing that the freedom most valued by the youth is the right to work and live anywhere rather than free speech, the right to vote or to follow one's religion. It might indicate that the latter are all taken as given.

The cities covered by the survey were Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai, Bangalore, Hyderabad, Ahmedabad and Jaipur.

A total of 600 people from the highest socioeconomic category, SEC A, were interviewed face to face for the survey. There were interesting variations in responses across cities on most questions.

For instance, 75% of respondents nationwide agreed that they enjoyed 'enough rights and freedoms in the country today'. In fact 100% of Bangaloreans felt so, while most other cities showed over 60% of respondents agreeing. Except in Mumbai. A shocking 56% of Mumbaikars answered 'No' to this question. Answers to subsequent questions perhaps hold the answer to this Mumbai anomaly.

When asked 'Which right/freedom do you enjoy most', 38% nationwide listed 'the right to live and work anywhere in India', with 'free speech' and 'right to vote' garnering 27% and 22% respectively. But the 'right to vote' tops in Delhi (43%), Kolkata (48%) and Jaipur (41%). Only in Mumbai does the 'right to work anywhere' clock a whopping 64%. Seen in conjunction with the results from the next poll question ('Do you think today's India offers great job opportunities?'), it reaffirms young Mumbaikars' distaste for the regional chauvinism preached by a couple of parties there. When it came to job opportunities, 64% of respondents felt that great potential is to be found in India today, with Chennai the most optimistic of metros (96% agreed) and Mumbai the only city where a majority (63%), again, disagree.

About 61% of young Indians also felt corruption is the biggest threat facing India right now. Most also said they would not pay a bribe, but only just. Bangaloreans, strangely, appear not to mind paying up; 96% said they'd pay a bribe, while 40% and 39% of Chennai and Ahmedabad respondents, respectively, said they'd do so too.

Anna Hazare's Jan Lokpal campaign is supported by 80% of those surveyed. Some 65% of respondents also support life imprisonment for corrupt officials, with most Delhiites (77%) vehemently agreeing on the measure. Only in Chennai and Jaipur did a large chunk (47%) feel the current five-year prison term was enough.

Cricket is what young India is clearly crazy about. India's 2011 World Cup win was seen by the largest chunk (46%) as our greatest achievement in the last decade. Ahmedabad and Chennai are the only cities that buck this trend; 56% of Ahmedabad respondents vote for economic growth as the big gain, while the majority of Chennai youth plump for India's telecom revolution.

"This survey is not realistic as every Indian knows. When majority people suffer from poverty and ill health, corruption is rampant and heads of government do not have independent power or efficiency to take a policy decision in a limited time, we should term it as pseudo-democracy," says a critic.

"India needs bi-party system like US and UK. The youth should participate in active politics forgetting differences of caste, religion, language and region. Teachers of all religions must preach how best to serve the country and what problems the country faces now. But that’s being too optimistic given the mess we already have made of our systems," says Pankaj Kumar, a 25 year old.

"I believe today is the day to take pride in our accomplishments and remember the fallen heroes; but more importantly, let's take stock. Let's introspect, look ourselves in the mirror an extra minute and let's ask, is this the best you as an individual and India as a nation can do?" says Dhwani Pathak, an engineer.

With a plethora of challenges to be met the youth today feels a lot of onus lies on the Indians themselves who need to be vigilant and take action. Little wonder then that Anna Hazare has found a huge youth base in support of his agitation against corruption.

However, in a country of one billion still there is a huge section of the society which doesn’t even know what August 15th stand for. Ask the street children.

Dressed in a worn-out shirt and shorts, Rodu, all of 11, hopped past swank sedans and intimidating SUVs at a busy traffic intersection in south Delhi. Clutching a bunch of tiny Indian flags and waving them mindlessly, he pored through window panes, straining to find a potential buyer.

Independence Day for him, like most other street children, is no more than an occasion to have better sales of their merchandise.

According to civil society activists, there are over 50,000 street children in Delhi alone. Many make ends meet by selling knickknacks on the road. Besides flags, some of these children also sell decorative pieces with tricolored motifs which can be placed on car dashboards. Seven-year-old Sangita, who walks barefoot, has a tinge of desperation in her voice as she asks around, 'Aap logey? (will you take one?)' but the smile remains intact.

The day starts early for the older children who purchase the tricolored flags and other merchandise in bulk from the wholesale market in Sadar Bazar, central Delhi.

They work for almost 12 hours every day. 'By the end of the day, we make about Rs.20-30, just enough to fill our stomachs,' said 15-year-old Nandini. 'We eat from roadside eateries.'

Ask them about the significance of the flag they hold in their hands and you see a dozen puzzled eyes. For these children, freedom is the day they and their families have a complete meal.

Free India still has a long way to go!

[BY LAVANYA GARIKINA]