Are we independent?

                 

                    Are we independent?

            We recently celebrated our 73rd independence day. Almost every body in India knows that we were ruled by Britishers for 2 centuries, that's a really long period. They ruled us, made us their slaves, freedom fighters fought to extreme points in order to get freedom. Now it's been 73 years since v hv been independent but are we really independent?

            Here's a short story which might make u think a little deeper. There was a very famous circus and the centre of attraction for that circus was a trained lion who would listen to his master and perform stunts. People from animal care took a notice of the torture the lion was going through and filed a complaint against the circus. The government received tax from the circus and ignored to take an action against it for a long period of time but the public kept on insisting and opposing this particular situation. Soon government put the lion into a zoo making an excuse of he might have forgotten how to hunt. Now, if we think carefully the lion was made free from the circus and it's master but he now had to put up with a whole new world with a whole new captivity.

             As humans even after the independent India we have not been made free by our own baseless, illogical and pathetic mindsets. We are born with a caste, religion, race and gender and yes, they do define us immensely in some or the other way (in India), don't you agree? 

             First of let's talk about race, it is just a colour isn't it? And what truly matters is what are you within your skin? What are you beneath that beautiful white,brown,yellow, black or vitiligo color? That is what makes you a human.

              A very crucial part of someone's life is their marraige. An adult here cannot choose his/her partner for life. For some people their caste and image in the society is way more important than their own child's happiness. Love is a beautiful feeling and here we are not allowed to love. An adult who is able to take care of his/her own needs, who can earn enough money, who can pay off his/her own bills, who can pay his/her rent, cannot have some sort of sense to choose his/her partner? I mean is that even logical? And even if an adult can't earn, aren't we the ones responsible for our own good or bad? 

             We are so screwed up that we cannot even choose our own careers. If a child knows maths and science he/she is a genius and if he/she is interested in sports,dance, music or any other activity, is told to be just a hobby, not career. Why can't it be a career, why can't it be as easily acceptable as the one who loves maths or science? Why do children have to be good at maths and science?And if it is so, why is it okay if a child is not good at music, dance,sports and stuff? Why don't people hesitate to admit their uninterested children in a medical or law school by giving lakhs of rupees and on the other hand if a boy/girl is interested in modelling he/she is shut down immediately as people here don't see modelling as a career? Why do people don't trust their children? Why is it always that these children have to keep proving their parents about their talent, and even by proving it  multiple times the support isn't guaranteed.

Modelling, music, dance, sports or any other co-curricular can never be a career, but you know what they can, you need to accept,embrace and trust your children and also people around you.

                We live in one of the largest democracy in the world and yet girls here are told what to wear, how to wear, where to go, where not to stop by, how to sit, whom to talk to, whom to avoid, time to be home, not to do night shifts, what to talk in public, who she should be friends with and what not? I just have one question if this is the love and care that a family has for a girl, why don't they shower so much love on their boys? No matter how successful a women becomes, her life sums up in how successful her marriage is, how satisfied her family is with her and how happy is patriarchy with her. Well, if you think misogyny can destroy us, you can live a better life! 

                  Coming to the most delicate issue as per me: Sexuality. I think what we don't understand is we are free to love anybody. Love is love after all. As I said before we are not allowed to love, it is way out of question for people to accept various sexualities. Gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender are just words for us but it is their identity. Now, I have seen people who look at transgenders in a very weird way. People cannot accept gays and lesbians as they are. I have also  seen people who say that all this is a myth! Thing people say about bisexuals is he/she is 50% gay and 50% straight, NO!! They are 100% bisexual. What was their fault if they were born with it? Why do we keep judging them? What gives us the right to judge them? Why can't we ever look at them normally as we look up at straight people. Why can't they be treated as normal as the straight ones? Some of them are literally scared of accepting their own self. Do we even understand and realize what pain they might be facing and what world are we making them to live? Is it such a big deal that they have a different sexuality that they can't live normal lives? Afterall, everybody has a right to love and everybody deserves to be loved it is as simple as that! And they are just like every other normal human. Not being straight doesn't make them any less of a human, their sexuality doesn't change them at heart. I hope we be kind and support them.

              Another very important thing to take into consideration is we treating handicapped people. Do you see any good facilities for them in your day to day life?Here's a very basic question: How many buildings do you see in a day with ramps for wheelchairs? How many buses have these ramps? We don't even think about it right? Well, it's time that we think and make a change, if not build a ramp we can at least offer our own seat to one of the handicapped person we see next time and that, would be the beginning of something we can call peace of mind. 

               It's been 73 years since we have gotten our freedom from those who ruled us but we are still the slaves of our own pitiful mentality and unfounded mindsets.

               What does it take to be free from all this? What exactly does it take to stop judging and move on? The answer is ACCEPTANCE! Acceptance surely comes from within. Self acceptance is the first step to freeing urself from these confinements. After this slowly but surely we can break all these bars of race, gender, caste and sexuality and free ourselves forever! Along with acceptance our education system and also parents raising their children in an atypical way can play a vital role in changing these mindsets. Only right education or only right parenting cannot change these mindsets they need to go hand in hand to bring an absolute change. 

P.S- A HUUGGEE shout-out to people who try  even their tiniest bit to bring a change and hope for a better tomorrow! Guys,

Keep trying and don't ever give up!coz, we ourselves my friends, are the change!

                            By - RuChaVan