WHAT DOES FREEDOM MEAN?
WHAT DOES FREEDOM MEAN?
Today we enjoy freedom of sorts. It didn’t come about just for the
asking or overnight. Whatever we are able to enjoy today – for example,
democracy and self-rule - were all due to the independence we attained from the
alien British rule in 1947, thanks to the different kinds of sacrifices made by innumerable
freedom fighters and national leaders. It took centuries of hard and selfless work
by our past generations/forefathers to break the yokes of the alien slavery fetters
and set the Indian people free.
As we introspect with awe and astonishment and compare India’s status - pre-independence vis-à-vis post-independence eras - we do see significant and staggering transformation in all walks of life. Post-freedom, generations especially the youth and children of today may not even know what freedom really meant and what price our ancestors had paid to achieve it for us? The youngsters might not perhaps know what a long-winded, marathon and enormous toiling would have gone into our freedom struggle, how much tears/blood would have flooded and flowed out, how many thousands would have lost their precious lives, properties and/or, comforts, or would have been maimed or crippled, or would have languished for longer periods and perished in jails for no fault of theirs except seeking the freedom for our Motherland! Needless to say, the freedom that the nation achieved is invaluable.
However, always remember the universally applicable dictum, “your
freedom ends where my nose begins.”
Let us now consider the present-day situation in which we enjoy many types of freedom. Some may give weird, fatuous, capricious and self-serving
interpretations of the term ‘freedom’ and ‘liberty’ suiting their convenience.
We assume we have unconditional freedom without any reciprocal duty or
responsibility towards our society, nation, and the fellow-countrymen at large.
Some others think that all laws and rules are for others only, and not for
himself/herself! It needs no over-emphasis that reedom is based on the cardinal principle of quid pro quo.
Before Mr. Barack Obama assumed charge as the U.S. President, the first-lady-in-the-wait Ms. Michelle Obama wanted to book a suite for stay in the White House. Since the request was received belatedly, the officials concerned in the White House officials politely refused her request. So, she along with her two daughters had to stay in a hotel outside. After all, rules are made only to be followed and not to be violated or broken. Exceptions can only be a rarity. Can we imagine such things happening in our country? That is what the laws/rules of the land ought to be.
When the daughter of Mr. George Bush, former U.S. President was booked
for a traffic rule violation, she was mulcted with the consequences. Neither anyone
interfered with the case nor was there any instruction from the ‘above’ to
release her! She paid the fine. Can’t and shouldn't we follow such things in our country also with no fear or favour, bias or prejudice?
We do have indigenous examples of righteous conduct and character by Indian
statesmen. In the 1960s, a former Minister of Tamil Nadu, Mr.
Kakkan, after his retirement, was only traveling in town buses. A Chief
Minister of Tamil Nadu late K Kamaraj even while in office was staying in a
rented house in Chennai. Even after he ceased to be in office, he didn’t and couldn’t
buy a house of his own. The Missile Man of India and former President late A.P.J.
Abdul Kalam never allowed any of his relatives to stay in the Rashtrapathi
Bhavan for long. In fact, for his swearing-in ceremony, he asked his elder
brother to come to Delhi from Rameswaram by train only! What an upstanding and reputable path they trod!
The best government is the one that governs the least. Equality
before the law is sacrosanct. Nowadays, there is a tendency to clamour for
rights only. No one seems to bother about corresponding duty and responsibility
enjoined upon the citizenry. The rights, either individual or collective, are
always subject to some limits and conditions, and certainly can’t be
considered absolute.
A traffic sergeant standing in the middle of the road and
regulating the vehicular traffic ought not to be considered a symbol of
tyranny, but is to be considered a saviour of law and rules of the road. Only
to guard against violations of rules of the road and possible mishaps, he is
posted right there amidst pollution of sorts. It is a bounden duty based on
civic principles to truncate, if necessary, one's individual rights for the
sake of other individuals, groups, or the community at large!
Some people want to wield power to make others powerless, freedom
for them to enslave others, muzzle others’ voice by their muscle power, and
keep them under repression, suppression, and oppression. Still worse, some would
usurp the powers of others by exercise of coercion, duress, and undue influence. Instead, we can use our power to empower others,
raise our voice for the voiceless, and help the have-nots. Social service is not
a cakewalk on the featherbed. The path of social service is not always clearly or
smoothly paved. There could be more thorns to bear the brunt of than flowers lining up with a visual feast accompanied by its fragrance wafting through the air much to the
delight of the travelers. Yes, it is all in the life struggle game and you have to act
it right.
R.SAMPATH
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