Independence Day: Freedom Must Be Protected by Its Citizens

 

Independence Day: Freedom Must Be Protected by Its Citizens

As India celebrates its 80th Independence Day on 15 August 2026, it is worth remembering that our freedom came at an enormous cost. Independence was not the achievement of one community, one region, one religion, one caste or one gender. It was the result of decades of struggle and sacrifice by people across the country who dreamed of a free and dignified India.

Leaders such as Mahatma Gandhi, Jawaharlal Nehru, Maulana Abul Kalam Azad, B.R. Ambedkar, Sardar Patel, and many others imagined an India where people of different faiths and beliefs could live together with dignity; where citizens would be equal before the law; and where freedom would have meaning in the everyday lives of ordinary people. Their vision was particularly significant in a society marked by deep inequalities of caste, class, gender and poverty.

Over the past more than seven decades, India has made remarkable progress on many fronts. Yet the dreams and values of the freedom struggle need to be remembered not merely as history, but as a responsibility for every generation of citizens.

The Indian Constitution is the most important institutional legacy of our freedom struggle. It gives us a framework that guarantees fundamental rights, liberty, equality and dignity. But a Constitution can protect our freedoms only when citizens and institutions uphold its spirit. The question is therefore not only whether we are formally free, but how we use, protect and defend that freedom in our everyday lives.

Freedom does not sustain itself automatically. It requires citizens who are aware, engaged and willing to speak when their rights or the rights of others are being threatened/encroached. Caste discrimination, gender inequality, exclusion, economic insecurity and other forms of injustice remind us that political independence does not automatically guarantee social or economic freedom.

This becomes particularly important when we look at the lives of India's working people. A vast majority of the workforce continues to work without secure incomes, stable employment or adequate social security. Millions of people earn their livelihoods through construction, industrial work, agriculture, informal employment and self-employment. They sustain not only their own families but, in many cases, the livelihoods of five or six other family members.

These are not merely statistics. They are the people who make the Indian economy work every day. Yet many continue to experience insecurity, humiliation and exclusion, and are often treated as if they are second-class citizens. The dignity of labour must therefore be at the heart of our understanding of freedom.

We should also remember the millions of migrant workers who, during the COVID-19 lockdown, were forced to return to their villages, many walking hundreds or thousands of kilometers in search of food, shelter and safety. Their journeys exposed the deep vulnerabilities within our economy and reminded us how unevenly the meaning of citizenship and freedom can be experienced .

The recent mobilization of India’s Gen Z also reminds us that freedom must remain a living idea for every generation. Young Indians are increasingly questioning corruption, unemployment, inequality, political accountability, social discrimination and the shrinking of democratic spaces. Their concerns are not separate from the aspirations of the freedom struggle; they reflect a generation asking whether the promises of equality, dignity and justice made in the Constitution are being realised in their everyday lives. The significance of Gen Z’s political voice lies not simply in its ability to protest, but in its insistence that democracy must provide young people with a meaningful space to question power, demand accountability and shape the future of the country. Independence, therefore, is not only about remembering 1947, it is also about ensuring that every new generation has the freedom and courage to imagine a better India

As we celebrate Independence Day, we must also remember those who continue to suffer from poverty, displacement, natural disasters and social exclusion. Floods and other climate-related disasters continue to affect vulnerable communities, particularly in states such as Bihar and Assam, where ordinary people often bear the greatest burden.

A democracy is sustained not only by elections but also by strong institutions, constitutional values and active citizens. Democratic institutions are essential for protecting individual rights, equality and dignity. When institutions become weak, inaccessible or unaccountable, the freedom of citizens is weakened as well.

The freedom struggle was not simply about transferring political power from British rulers to Indian rulers. It was also about creating a society based on justice, equality, dignity and freedom from discrimination. That unfinished task belongs to every generation.

So, this Independence Day, let us celebrate our freedom—but let us also ask ourselves: Whose freedom are we protecting? Whose voice is being heard? Whose dignity is still being denied? And what are we doing as citizens when someone's freedom and rights are being taken away?

Freedom is not something that we inherit once and keep forever. It has to be defended, renewed and made meaningful every day.

Happy Independence Day. Jai Hind