BEYOND THE FLAGS: THE FORGOTTEN SOUL OF OUR INDEPENDENCE | BY KARISHMA

Every year when 15th August arrives, our country turns into a beautiful painting of saffron, white and green. Patriotic songs echo in the streets, children run with the flags, and our phones are flooded with “Happy Independence Day” messages. It is a day of immense joy and pride. 

But in the middle of this loud celebration, a quiet and uncomfortable question hides: Have we forgotten what freedom actually cost, and what we have turned it into today? 

We have reduced our freedom struggle to a few famous names in school books. But worse than forgetting our past is how we are misusing our present.

1. The Cost We Forgot : When People Bled for Tomorrow

When we talk about freedom, we treat it like a gift that was handed down easily. We forget the oceans of blood, the broken families, and the young lives cut short so that we can breathe free air.

• A bookbinder by profession from Patna, Peer Ali Khan played a monumental role in the 1857 revolt by secretly organizing and leading a network of freedom fighters. Even when captured and offered his life in exchange for betraying his comrades, he proudly chose the gallows, declaring that no threat could shake his loyalty to the motherland.
• Leading a massive procession of protesters during the Quit India Movement in 1942, Matangini Hazra (73) refused to back down even when security forces opened fire. Bleeding from her wounds and holding the tricolor high, she chanted ‘Vande Mataram’ until her final breath, proving that true courage knows no age.
• During the 1942 Quit India Movement, Kanaklata Barua bravely led a procession to hoist the national flag at a local police station. She took a bullet straight to her chest with unwavering courage, making the ultimate sacrifice at such a tender age to keep our flag flying high.

They did not suffer, bleed, or walk to the gallows so that we could take our rights for granted and waste them today. Their sacrifices remind us that the foundation of our nation was laid with absolute selflessness, resilience, and an unbreakable love for the motherland that asked for nothing in return.

2. The Misunderstanding we live In: What Freedom means Today 

Think about those brave heroes who gave their lives for us, and then look at how we treat our freedom in the present. Today, a dangerous misconception has taken root where freedom is mistaken for a license to act without any accountability: 

• We often think a free society means we can litter public spaces, ignore our civic duties, and behave entirely selfishly. 
• We believe freedom of speech gives us the right to spread hatred, abuse others online behind a screen, and tear down social harmony.
• We treat our rights purely as an entitlement, completely forgetting that every single right comes paired with an equal duty to our nation 
• The Hypocrisy of Convenience : True freedom is heavily disrespected when people commit shameful acts, harass others, or show complete disregard for the law and safety, only to transform into overnight ‘patriots’ every 15th of August just to post pictures online with hashtags like #Azaadi.

This is not true independence. That is pure entitlement, ego, and a complete disrespect for our history. True freedom means we all share responsibility, when we break society apart through carelessness, unfair judgment, or division, we destroy the very freedom we celebrate.

3. Bridging the Past and the Present 

When we misuse our freedom for petty selfishness, online abuse, or civic irresponsibility, we dishonor the young heroes who gave up their entire future for us.

True freedom is not freedom from rules or responsibilities, it is the freedom to build a fair, kind, and fearless nation where everyone can live with dignity, equality, and mutual respect.

How to Honor them this day 

• Remember their sacrifice: Look past the holiday celebrations and remember the unyielding courage of people like Peer Ali Khan, Matangiri Hazra, and Kanaklata Barua.
• Redefine your Freedom: Whenever you are about to misuse your rights, whether by wasting resources, ignoring duties, or spreading negativity, stop and ask yourself: Is this what millions bled for?
• Act with Purpose: Be a responsible citizen and help build the nation they dreamed of through your character, kindness, and integrity.

Our ancestors gladly gave away their “Today” so that we could have our “Free Tomorrow”. Let us stop treating freedom as a free pass, and start treating it as the sacred duty it truly is.

Jain Hind!

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AUTHOR: KARISHMA