Seventy years of Indian Independence, as of yesterday, makes one reflect on all the wonderful things that we are free to do because of it. Here is a list, not comprehensive, and in no particular order, of all the freedoms that we have claimed for ourselves.
- Free to drive on the footpath and down the wrong side of the road because the roads are our property.
- The road is not ours so we are free to throw garbage wherever we like.
- Free to not obey laws as they have been there forever but serve no practical purpose. So there is nothing wrong with non-observance, unless you get caught. Even then you can get away with it, if you have ‘contacts’
- Free to demand bribes because the world owes you more for being forced to work in a government job. Forget about the pension and benefits. All of that comes when you are too old to enjoy it.
- Free to pay bribes as circumventing the system and the laws is your birth right and it is the obvious way to jump the queue of one billion.
- Free to mind everyone else’s business but be totally oblivious to your own. Because that is so much more interesting. And we all have opinions so why not express them?
- Free to expect the world of the government but not pay taxes, as that is done only by the fools, and of course the only kind of money worth having is the black variety.
- The government is free to demand more taxes from those aforesaid fools who pay quietly and then eat it all up without providing anything in return.
- The politicians, once elected, are free to consider themselves as gods who have access to the hundi collections for personal decoration.
- The police are free to consider themselves as imperial powers, to rule over, terrify and subjugate the common person.
- The media are free to conduct trials and set themselves up as judge, jury and executioner.
- Free to throw stones and burn buses as public property belongs to the miniscule tax paying public and for everyone else it is there to be abused.
- Free to chop down forest for mining and cover up lake beds in the guise of development. Who cares if the environment is ruined as all the children of the people in power will have migrated by then. After all what are the ill begotten gains for if not to give the children a better life?
- Free to cheat in exams. Was there any other purpose to exams? Studying is for idiots, copying is for the smart ones who know how to get ahead in life.
- Free to burn books, ban books and of course, read banned stuff on the internet.
Ideally we should have seventy and we easily could work up to that number but we are already overwhelmed with the glories of our freedom and need to recuperate. Please feel free to add any more freedoms that we have acquired along the way and that amaze you.
We know sarcasm is the lowest form of humour but hey, we are FREE to be sarcastic!
What to do, we are like that only…
Long live the Republic!
Mostly Mondays 
Oh, dear
LikeLiked by 1 person
Oh dear indeed. Thank you for your sympathies.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Interesting observations. Growing up, my father, who was a freedom fighter, always used to say, “Your generation does not know the value of freedom”.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Most people just understand it differently and that is our grouse. Perhaps we don’t appreciate it because we did not have to fight for it.
LikeLike
While I don’t dispute, Am sure the flipside of the coin count is far greater.
LikeLike