ONE year of the celebrations of India’s nectar jubilee has ended, ushering the country into Azadi Ka Amrit Kaal to live with a sense of dedicated purpose for the next 25 years until the nation’s Independence reaches the 100-year mark. This very concept -- of living for the country -- has its wonderful positivism that should enthuse all of us to make genuine efforts to live for the country and make it the world’s place in every sense of the term. Realising the importance of the next 25 years, it is not difficult to understand the level of challenges that would confront us in the next quarter of a century. Every Indian citizen, within the country or as part of the larger Indian diaspora, will have to play his or her role as properly as possible so that India rises to the height it deserves in internal and international scenario. As the country celebrates the Independence Day, it recalls most naturally the sacrifices and contributions of all those in the generations of Indian people in the past 150 years.

 

Those were not just the soldiers and politicians and revolutionaries, but also teachers, scientists, artists, litterateurs, adventurers, sportspersons, industrialists, entrepreneurs. Many of them offered the highest sacrifice for the country, but many more lived every moment of life for the country. Azadi Ka Amrit Kaal is going to be the period to recall the contributions of all those who worked tirelessly in different fields to make the country what it today stands for. And as we recall those people, we also take a pledge that we, too, would live for the country with the best of purposes, with the best of efforts, with the best of intentions of togetherness. In other words, all these account for living for the country in all its dimensions. This is the calling of Azadi Ka Amrit Kaal. This is the calling of every moment in the next 25 years until we reach the golden moment of August 15, 2047. In the past 75 years, India has realised its potential to a great extent in all fields. It is not without reason that the world looks at India and to India with optimism and positivism of a rare kind. In the past 8-9 years, the quality of global appreciation and acceptance India has earned for itself has been phenomenal, to say the least. This is the outcome of an entirely spiritual exercise of self-belief and self-assertion. The first step is to acquire an unshakable self-belief. The next step is asserting that belief in action. The word ‘assertion’ has a clear definition -- to underline what one stands for, and to act in that belief.

 

This term also has another polished dimension -- it has certain politeness, certain quiet faith in one’s own abilities and vision. This is far from aggressiveness many countries and communities often display. It is this attribute of today’s India that has earned it accolades the world over in the past few years. This is living for the country. This is creating for the country conditions in which positivism and optimism are the two main essentials. These two qualities push persons and people to rendering their best in every endeavour undertaken for the larger purpose of making the country great. In other words, this is patriotic living -- marshalling everything one has for the country’s benefit. This concept does not discount working for one’s own interest. But the most essential aspect of working for one’s own interest is to let national interest supersede personal and selfish ideas. This is the essence of Azadi Ka Amrit Kaal. In this period, we will have to work with ‘Nation First’ concept uppermost in the mind. Nation first, and then the individual. Considered the other way round, the average Indian people will have to work out the fine balance between personal interest and national interest. This is what Azadi Ka Amrit Kaal means !