It was the Independence Day of 1995. I was a young kid studying in a school at my native village. Khaadi Kurta-Pajama, Nehru topi, tricolor in hand and the slogans of Jai Hind & Vande Mataram - these are my earliest memories of the Independence Day. It was on this day, when I delivered my first speech. The Hindi speech, compiled by my father, was a page and half long. Some of the words of the speech were beyond my understanding. Yet, somehow, I was able to memorize it. All I knew was that I am supposed to speak it in from of few people and I may get some prize. Eventually, it went on well and I got some prizes - a five rupee note from the headmaster, some orange candies, lots of claps and few pats on the back. This was my first involvement in the celebration of Independence Day, as far as I could remember.

Couple of years later, I was a part of the Independence Day celebration again. Only difference was that it was a private school in the capital of India. I still remember the excitement while getting the prize. I remember writing a letter to my grandfather about the event and the prize. It sounds funny now a days! Nevertheless, years passed and I moved on from Hindi speech to the English one. My speech started to be a distinct default on the Independence Day. Initially, it used to be all about speech, fun, prize and the laddoos. Gradually, I started understanding my speech well. I started understanding the meaning of words like sovereign, republic and freedom in their true sense. My father used to invest a lot of time in putting the facts and current events together in order to come up with an attractive speech. My mother used to listen to me while I was doing rehearsals. There used to be a cultural program in the school on Independence Day. While it was the Raja of Andher Nagari or a mawali in a skit, I did it all. It was fun! This along with the Prime Minister's message from the ramparts of Red Fort used to be my understanding of Independence Day.

During my school days of class IX and X, I was highly inactive in the activities of Independence Day. However, by that time, I started to think that freedom is not only to be celebrated on the Independence Day. During this time I read different books, articles and news items on various freedom fighters. My involvement in Independence Day continued to be negligible till I finished my higher secondary education, partly due to my low confidence and partly because of my negligence towards my confidence state. During those higher secondary days, I was uncomfortable on stage, may be even afraid of it. I used to celebrate Independence Day at home. I was confused about the concepts of freedom as told in different societies and between different age groups.

Once I started my engineering education, I was at it again. But not until the fifth semester. By then, I knew that the Independence Day was much more than just a celebration of our freedom back in 1947. I understood that we are not all that free in an Independent India.

It has been five years since I started my professional career as an engineer. In the race of life, the Independence Day comes more like a holiday than a red letter day that it actually is. I know what freedom is all about, I know we are still not free from a lot of unpleasant and unwanted things and I do think about it this day. I meet people and talk about bringing a change. As dusk falls, I gradually start thinking about the next day at office. It may change some day and I really wish it does. As of now, from where I see, Independence Day has become a day when we try to express our gratitude to the freedom fighters not truly understanding the reason for which they sacrificed their lives.