INDEPENDENCE DAY

By Dr. Bilal Ahmad Bhat

On the dawn of August Fifteenth, the tricolor rose high,
Its saffron, white, and green brushed the morning sky.
Seventy-eight years have passed since that fateful day,
When chains of empire were broken away.

The Indian Independence Act—etched in the books of time,
Marked the end of a rule cold and prime.
From 1947’s tears and cheers we came,
To write our own chapter, to claim our own name.

We fought with blood, with voices loud,
From quiet villages to the city crowd.
From the fields of Punjab to Bengal’s flame,
From the spirit of Kashmir to Tamil’s name.

But—(pause, reflective)—freedom is more than borders won,
More than flags that rise beneath the sun.
Yes, the British left, but their shadow stayed,
In thoughts, in systems, in games still played.

Colonial chains may be gone from our land,
But not from every heart, nor every hand.
We are free—yet bound by corruption’s grip,
By political gamesmanship, by power’s script.

The bureaucrat’s desk still holds the key,
To dreams denied for a bribe’s small fee.
Discrimination still scars our streets,
Where religion and caste decide who meets.

Votes are traded, voices bought,
Rights reduced to a number sought.
We stand in lines, we shout for change,
But find our hopes in the same exchange.

Yet—I believe, and I will say—
This land is worth the price we pay.
We are brothers, we are sisters all,
From the Himalayan peaks to Kanyakumari’s call.

Hindu, Muslim, Sikh, Isai—
Sab aapas mein Bhai Bhai.
No tongue, no creed, no ancient fight,
Should blind us to what is just and right.

Let no man claim entitlement’s throne,
For this land belongs to us all, our own.
Not to one leader, nor one face,
But to every child, in every place.

From the saffron’s fire to the green’s deep earth,
To the white of peace that shapes our birth—
Our flag is not cloth; it is a vow,
To live in truth, here and now.

Patriotism is not a day’s parade,
Nor fireworks bright, nor slogans made.
It is honesty in every deed,
It is planting hope where there is need.

So let this Independence Day remind—
That true freedom lives in the mind.
Not in the chains we broke before,
But in the justice we build—and more.

Let us rise, shoulder to shoulder,
Not as rulers, nor as the ruled, but bolder.
For the tricolor waves for me, for you,
For every dream we dare make true.

From Kashmir’s snow to Kerala’s sand,
From the deserts to the farmlands—
We are India, one and strong,
Righting the past, righting the wrong.

And as the sun sets on this day’s light,
May we vow to make tomorrow right.
For independence is not the end,
It’s the road where all beginnings blend.