The Indian Freedom struggle harps on the magnamity of the leaders who drove the country into liberty.
By the turn of the 21st century there have been dozens of movies made and an even more stunning number of books written about the freedom struggle and its offspring, our independence. So much so we are forced to believe in our freedom.
An uprising is what India is witnessing every day. Be it in the homes of the average Indian, in all domesticity or in the dense jungles of our many states. At a distance, the many nations that are a bridge between the east and the west. The idea of freedom is so elusive that even when a man has freedom he doesnt truly believe so.
At this juncture am forced to think, are the extremists of today, freedom strugglers of the future? The silent uprising in Cairo is an antonym of the brewing war in Tripoli, are they telling the same tale? Fighting others wars seems to be big brother, America’s strategy to beat unemployment in their own country. Never must have a career in the army seemed so appealing to the enterprising and hard-working lot. So many countries still left to fight for. At this rate the army need not worry unemployment for several deacdes.
This isnt to belittle any body’s effort to bring freedom. But do these soldiers oops saviours ever realise what their fighting for?
Living in burqas are frowned upon by many, class distinction are frowned by even more and let me not even get to arranged marriages. At lunch the other day my friend with wide and concerned eyes asked me, “You dont have even that much freedom in your country?”. It probably is all a matter of perspective. Burqas are a cultural phenomenon in most countries, women seem to not mind them at all. The middle-eastern women, each nothing short of a greek goddess, lives a full-life, and in many cases a much better life than her european counterparts. One off cases of abuse should definitely be ostracized but at the moment am talking for a collective whole.
Correct me if you think I am wrong. But I have come to believe that freedom like happiness comes from a sense of being. The British took Indians as slaves, they abused Indians, they humiliated them, they were a nightmare! But really were they? Lets go back and see how it happened? I analyse that the trade/industury is one of the most important driving force of a culture. If trade is good/business is good then “all is well”. The British came in through the trade route, conquered the industry and then never looked back. So did India lose its freedom by giving in to the British trade completely?
The people in Telanagana, Andhra Pradesh would have never dreamed of a seperate state had in not brought with it monetary rewards! Really is it money that rules the world? And in turn affects the “freedom quotient”? A woman is considered independent and free if she earns well. The greater the earning the “freeer” she seems to be.
The word freedom is defined by the the ability to make choices. So well in a nutshell that explains it all. How good the choices are is well secondary. But its the fact that we get to make a choice irrespective of the consequences is what freedom is all about. India is free today, probably telangana will be free tomorrow and whats not to say Libya will be free in the future.
The point I try to drive at in the above ramble is that we are all really really free. Given that at any point of time anywhere in the world the basis of freedom is that which is born from the freedom of thought. And the best part of freedom is that it comes with absolutely no responsibility. And thats probably why its misused.
We are therefore, only that much free, as much we want to be.
Hence I seem to see little sense in the “freedom struggles” of the “middleists” or the “extremists”.
And its so very important for history writing to be factual and unbiased.
If successful will Osama beat Obama in the race to be the “Father of the World”? I guess it all depends on which side of the fence youre on.
Vedasri Siddamsetty 
