Monday, 15 August 2016
Happy Independence Day, India
The Independence Day in India is celebrated every year
Even media outlets across the world are divided,
What is on 15 August?
Independence Day, observed annually on 15, August,
is a National Holiday in India commemorating the nation's
independence from the British Empire on 15 August 1947.
Which year of independence is India celebrating in 2015?
From 1947 - 2015: India celebrates Independence day.
- Aug 14, 2015.
As India celebrates her 69th Independence Day, a collection
of exclusive images from The Hindu Archives of
celebrations over the years.
Indipendence Day Celebration Reason In India
Sixty nine years ago, we freed ourselves from the British. And as we
progressed as an independent nation, we continued to shake off other chains that bound us
body and mind. This Independence Day, we listed some of the freedoms we're most
happy for, and some shackles we'll be happy to be rid of
The azaadis we like...
Paperwork and long lines: You may have complained that the fingerprinting
made you feel like a criminal, but the Aadhar card has cut out the long wait
for 'police verification' for your passport, among other things. And e-governance, online
banking and e-commerce have cut lines for everything else, from buying groceries to
depositing a cheque, to paying your phone bill.
made you feel like a criminal, but the Aadhar card has cut out the long wait
for 'police verification' for your passport, among other things. And e-governance, online
banking and e-commerce have cut lines for everything else, from buying groceries to
depositing a cheque, to paying your phone bill.
Professional monogamy: Remember your mum, who worked in the
same place for 30 years? That's not how our careers look. Economic and industrial reforms after
1991, and of course LinkedIn and naukri.com, have meant there's no sticking to
one organization for life. Or sticking to one man, with extramarital dating services like Ashley
Madison boasting taglines like "Life is short. Have an affair."
same place for 30 years? That's not how our careers look. Economic and industrial reforms after
1991, and of course LinkedIn and naukri.com, have meant there's no sticking to
one organization for life. Or sticking to one man, with extramarital dating services like Ashley
Madison boasting taglines like "Life is short. Have an affair."
The matchmaking aunty-network: We've got our own social network
and we're now free to make our own romantic arrangements, re-arrangements or
mis-arrangements.
and we're now free to make our own romantic arrangements, re-arrangements or
mis-arrangements.
Obsession with engineering/medicine as career options: 'Oh, she didn't
do well in Class 10?' Or 'Without science there's no future.' Even the obnoxious younger
cousin would say, 'You must be dumb if you took commerce'. Choosing
economics — or worse, history, was your sure shot to failure. But now one can be a dating
guru, a yoga guru or just a talking guru on TV.
do well in Class 10?' Or 'Without science there's no future.' Even the obnoxious younger
cousin would say, 'You must be dumb if you took commerce'. Choosing
economics — or worse, history, was your sure shot to failure. But now one can be a dating
guru, a yoga guru or just a talking guru on TV.
Needing "contacts" to be heard: The Right to Information Act,
which makes it mandatory for the government to provide data you request, has brought in
much-needed accountability in governance. Plus there is the online route: You could
just tweet a minister, like the man whose wife lost her passport before their honeymoon,
and get the job done.
which makes it mandatory for the government to provide data you request, has brought in
much-needed accountability in governance. Plus there is the online route: You could
just tweet a minister, like the man whose wife lost her passport before their honeymoon,
and get the job done.
Common minimum entertainment on Doordarshan: There was DD,
the video library, cable TV and finally — finally! —
we've got on-demand content and Netflix
bringing any show, documentary or film to a laptop or phone near you. And
while we're at it, we're going to add gratitude for freedom from landlines and large phone
bills, thanks to VOIP and messaging services. Not to forget app and radio taxis
that have liberated us from grumpy auto drivers and rickety kaali peelis. Also waiting
months for a clunky Ambassador after paying a 'premium', and wearing wind-up HMT
watches with scratchy, black straps (yes, we know those have nostalgia value, but really!)
the video library, cable TV and finally — finally! —
we've got on-demand content and Netflix
bringing any show, documentary or film to a laptop or phone near you. And
while we're at it, we're going to add gratitude for freedom from landlines and large phone
bills, thanks to VOIP and messaging services. Not to forget app and radio taxis
that have liberated us from grumpy auto drivers and rickety kaali peelis. Also waiting
months for a clunky Ambassador after paying a 'premium', and wearing wind-up HMT
watches with scratchy, black straps (yes, we know those have nostalgia value, but really!)
Musty reference books and fat encyclopedias: Flipping through library
cards and catalogues, writing down the number of the book you need, walking by dusty
shelves to find said book, wading through the index for that one para on the formation
of Andhra Pradesh, and finally finding the page and scribbling down the information.
We're free of all that. It's all online, all instant, on tap, just the right search string away
cards and catalogues, writing down the number of the book you need, walking by dusty
shelves to find said book, wading through the index for that one para on the formation
of Andhra Pradesh, and finally finding the page and scribbling down the information.
We're free of all that. It's all online, all instant, on tap, just the right search string away
...And the azaadis we would like
Sec 377 and moral policing: We'd like to be attracted to whoever we like,
have sex, fall in love and out, and marry or not marry, without the government,
khap panchayats, the righteously outraged, cultural supremacists, and the
uncle next door wanting a say in it. They're considered personal liberties for the simple
reason — they're personal.
have sex, fall in love and out, and marry or not marry, without the government,
khap panchayats, the righteously outraged, cultural supremacists, and the
uncle next door wanting a say in it. They're considered personal liberties for the simple
reason — they're personal.
Sexual harassment and violence, and the culture of impunity: Nirbhaya
changed rape laws but there's a long way to go before mindsets are changed.
As the Bulandshahr case has shown, politicians would still rather cook up
conspiracy theories than catch the accused.
changed rape laws but there's a long way to go before mindsets are changed.
As the Bulandshahr case has shown, politicians would still rather cook up
conspiracy theories than catch the accused.
Discrimination: Gender, caste, religion, region, disability. There are so
many ways in which we exclude rather than include people in this country, which has
been supposedly free of bondage for 70 years. Time, perhaps, for a rethink on modern
forms of oppression?
many ways in which we exclude rather than include people in this country, which has
been supposedly free of bondage for 70 years. Time, perhaps, for a rethink on modern
forms of oppression?
Snips and bleeps: Censor Board. Its nomenclature alone relegates it to
the last century, from where its officials too derive, with their Victorianera ideas of what we
should and shouldn't see. And of course, there's the long list of books that various
governments decide we aren't ready to read — from The Satanic Verses to, more recently,
biographies of saints Tukaram and Dnyaneshwar.
the last century, from where its officials too derive, with their Victorianera ideas of what we
should and shouldn't see. And of course, there's the long list of books that various
governments decide we aren't ready to read — from The Satanic Verses to, more recently,
biographies of saints Tukaram and Dnyaneshwar.
Free-for-all interpretations of history: Textbook revisions have become
quick and convenient re-tellings of the past to support a particular agenda. They're
inaccurate, simplistic and sometimes politically ghost-written, making our history more
fiction than fact.
quick and convenient re-tellings of the past to support a particular agenda. They're
inaccurate, simplistic and sometimes politically ghost-written, making our history more
fiction than fact.
Unquestioned entitlement and privilege: Pata nahi mera baap kaun hai?
The hubris of entitlement is the reason people try to get away with everything
— from drunk driving to rape, or land that job or seat in Parliament.
No, you don't deserve it just because you're convinced you do. But to dismantle systemic
privilege, we first need azadi from caste hierarchies, patriarchy and the entire legacy of
inequality the Constitution says it has outlawed.
The hubris of entitlement is the reason people try to get away with everything
— from drunk driving to rape, or land that job or seat in Parliament.
No, you don't deserve it just because you're convinced you do. But to dismantle systemic
privilege, we first need azadi from caste hierarchies, patriarchy and the entire legacy of
inequality the Constitution says it has outlawed.
Jugaad in public works: Corruption and mismanagement mean we not
only end up with deadly roads and buckled pavements, but also mega-scams that go on and
on and on...
only end up with deadly roads and buckled pavements, but also mega-scams that go on and
on and on...
.
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