YEH JO DESH HAI TERA…..

By Ruma Dubey

As India steps into the 71st year of Independence, no one could have been better than PM Modi to inspire the “chalta hai” nation into a “badal sakta hai” one.  His speech might have sounded more like a rah-rah prequel to the election campaign which will start next year for 2019 but we give it to him – extremely motivating. Gone are the days of a pre-written, mumbling and meaningless speech; this one was spirited and befitting the “new India” which the PM talked about and asked us all to dream about.

The speech basically addressed all issues; more like a report card of the past three years – right from farmers, OROP, railways, technology, youth, demonetization, GST, powering up villages; it had it all. Modi even spoke briefly about intolerance but it was more like a passing thingy. Women empowerment found its space through the burning issue of triple talaq.

This is the 75th year of Quit India and in 2022, India will celebrate 75 years of independence. The PM has taken 2022 as the target for transforming ourselves into New India and urged the nation to take a pledge to create a new India. The dream he dreams in the next five years - poor shall have concrete houses. Where the farmer income shall double by 2022 in a new India. Where youth and women will get ample opportunities. An India which is free of casteism, terrorism, corruption, nepotism. A clean India.

That seems like a tall dream but it is something very nice and inspiring to hear on this auspicious day. For the new generation of today, 15thAugust is just a holiday as they live in a free India and have never faced or experienced the feelings which their forefathers had gone through. Thus such speeches are essential to foster a spirit of patriotism in the youth today, keep everyone united.

One can sit, dissect and do a complete postmortem of his speech, word-by-word and come up with a lot of things which he said, he did not say and could have said. But the point here is – he at least knows the issues faced by the country. Everything that he has promised might not get implemented, yet today, as Indians, we can finally feel some pride that we have a leader who can talk well and nurture the hope, that too after a long time, that good things could indeed happen in India.

Happy Independence Day to all!