We wait for a whole year to say excitedly “Happy Independence Day! Here we are, into the 75^th year of Independence on August 15 and celebrate the day as another happy birthday of the free Indian nation.

A birthday is a birthday, an occasion for celebration. Normally, nobody wants to remember any unhappiness of the past or the worry of the present or the apprehensions about the future. It is fun that birthday is meant for. So, we have parades and pageants, music and dances, parties and banquets.

Even the deadly Covid which has claimed thousands of Indian lives cannot dampen our spirits to celebrate the occasion. Wewill gather together in numbers, at places, fairly large and party on land and on water, and, well, may be, in the air, too. But celebrate we must. After all, it is a day of independence, and we must breathe freedom- a freedom for which our forefathers made tremendous sacrifices, even laid down their lives.

As I, too, with my compatriots, prepare to celebrate the 75^thIndependence Day of India, I look back at the journey of the nation which was born on 15th August 1947. It was a birth which came with blood of hundreds upon thousands of Indians who were trying to relocate in the wake of the partition of the country in to two parts-one Pakistan, born on August 14 and the other, India, born a day later, on August 15. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has done well to remember the day, the horrors attached with it, and the lives lost. For the first time, a Prime Minister thought of a’Vibhajan Vibhishika Smriti Diwas’ or Partition Horrors Remembrance Day in the memory of those who lost their lives during the Partition. A kind thought. Thank you, Prime Minister.

I hope I am not a spoilsport recalling the sacrifices of freedom fighters and remembering those who lost their lives in that struggle and during the partition.

Let me come to the rosy side. I look back at the 74 years of Indian Independence and feel happy to see India standing tall in the comity of nations. India speaks. India is heard. As I write this comment, India is presiding over the United Nations Security Council. What an honor!

The Tokyo Olympics haul of a Gold, 2 silver and 4 bronze medals, coming just a few days before the Independence Day, has certainly added to the joy and pride of Indians all over the world. Congratulations to medal winners, Indians and the Diaspora across the world.

As they say, “count your blessings.” So, let me count just the blessings in the editorial comment. I leave the analysis of   the past, the present and the future of India to the many authors and readers who have been kind enough to express their views in the 108 pages of this Independence Day special edition.

The Indian Panorama family wishes all a Happy 75^th Independence Day of India.

Jai hind!