Dream India still eludes them

KANPUR: They changed history and formed a country out of a dream and they survived to see if the dream would come true. They were the ones who defied the impressions that youngsters were ignorant and joined the mission to free the country with a zeal that brooked no argument. In the 60th year of the Constitution, people who fought for India's freedom look back with pride and people of young and Independent India look ahead with hope.
Freedom fighter Dharam Kumar Singh recalls the celebrations of January 26, 1950. "There were many present on the day at Chowk Sarafa to mark the day," remembers Dharma Kumar.
Another freedom fighter VP Singh recalls how he was imprisoned by the Britishers, but it could not crush his spirit. The India of their dreams still eludes them but they remain optimistic. "Humein azaadi toh mil gayi par poorna swaraaj nahi mila (Though we got freedom, we have not got complete independence)," rued 92-year-old Shiv Shankar, a freedom fighter who had come to the Bhawan. "I had faith that the coming generations would take the responsibility of taking our nation forward," he laments but he is still optimistic that things will change for better.
The Gen X on the other hand dreams of a corruption-free, poverty-free and educated India.
Frustrated by fake politicians and driven by a desire to see some improvement in the country, 24-year-old Divya Prajapati, a political science student, says: "We need more Abdul Kalams. The country needs more qualified youngsters to enter into politics."
While the patriotic feeling among the younger generation seems to be confined to national festivals, a few of them even have forgotten even the civic lessons and when asked to differentiate between National Anthem and National Song failed to do so.
According to Komal Sawhney, a Shyam Nagar resident: "The independence day is now confined to hosting of National Flag, making pious promises and vocal affirmations to recapture the glory of our nation. In real sense, we have again lost our independence to powerful and wealthy people. The feeling to do something for the nation can hardly be seen in the people of India."