Are We Thoughtlessly Celebrating Freedom While Forgetting Its True Essence?

Doctors and students protest at RG Kar Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata on Wednesday.

(Photo: PTI)

Every year, for generations, the people of India remember with great pride and admiration the midnight moment of 14 August 1947 when we as a nation gained independence from British rule. This year, not unlike previous years, the glory of the moment has been marred and the feeling of patriotism overshadowed by the feeling of sadness, disappointment, and anger — anger at the present state of our so-called ‘free Indian society’.

On the morning of 15 August, and throughout the day, we will witness celebrations across the country with patriotic songs and flags furling high and speeches galore. But, have we really cherished and nurtured the hard-earned freedom as we should have — freedom for all Indians, men and women, rich and poor, people belonging to all castes and creeds, all regions and linguistic communities?

It is time to ponder, to reflect on where we stand today on the issues of freedom staring starkly at us. This Independence Day, we need to observe a few minutes of silence and ask ourselves — have we progressed in taking forward the values of humanity and human dignity or are we blindly following the path of aggression and violence in the desire for self-aggrandisement and majoritarianism?

We need to press pause and think — what have we done with our freedom earned by the blood and sweat of our brave warriors? Have we truly understood its meaning?

Frankly, if I wish to celebrate this day it is only in the memory of those brave sons and daughters of our country who laid down their lives to get us that gift of freedom from foreign rule. And, our brave brothers and sisters continue to do so today in protecting our borders. My humble and most respectful salutations to them. But, I cannot rejoice while turning a blind eye and a deaf ear to the atrocities happening around me – to women, minorities, and people with disabilities, ie, the vulnerable and marginalised sections of society.

When our young men and women are out on the roads protesting against personal and professional injustices meted out to them, how can we remain silent spectators? India has had women who have occupied the highest positions in government, who have excelled in every possible field and yet when they are wronged, their cries for justice go unheard and nothing much changes. It is business as usual. After the horrific Nirbhaya rape and murder case in 2012, one would not expect another such shocking incident to happen.

But the rape and murder of young women, even minor girls, continue to happen frequently. Police investigations take place but the rate of conviction is abysmal. The rapists and murderers are roaming free and committing more heinous crimes with impunity. Abuse in all forms and injury caused to women happens rampantly, both in the privacy of their homes and also in public spaces, like the roads and or their workplaces.

The recent despicable and atrocious incident that happened in Kolkata where a young doctor on duty was brutally raped and murdered is not only a crime against a woman, it is an unspeakable horrendous crime against humanity — something that should make us hang our heads in shame.

It is not entirely about where, when, or under what circumstances it happened and who is responsible for it. Those are matters of investigation and hopefully, there will be a thorough and fair investigation by the CBI keeping in mind the serious nature of the crime and those responsible for the crime will be given the harshest punishment such crimes deserve.

What is important is to understand why such incidents take place — what is the cause of the lack of respect and regard that we as a society have for women in India? We revere the Mother Goddess, Mother Nature, our Motherland. Then why is the plight of women so pathetic?

Perhaps, because we are quick to put the blame on the victim with patronising attitudes and paternalistic advice about what women ought to do, wear, where to go, with whom to associate, etc. Something we would hesitate to impose on men. Why this disparity when we as a society talk of ‘equality’ in professional matters? Making private and public spaces for women safe is a responsibility of the state and society.

But changing attitudes, how women are viewed and treated, is our collective responsibility. Can we teach ourselves and our children to treat women with equal respect and dignity compared to men, if not more (given the historical oppression and injustice)? For the same reason, we need to teach ourselves to look beyond the distinctions of caste, class, creed, region and ethnicity.

The objectification of women merely as a ‘means’ of service to the family with disregard to her as an ‘end’ having her own personal needs and desires, ambitions, and aspirations, continues to be another reason for her ‘secondary’ status in society. The portrayal of women in media and journalism also needs to be more sensitive. It is appalling to see the language used in representing crimes against women.

Even when the reporting is factual, it must respect the sentiments of the victim and the victim’s family. The media is careful to hide personal facts about the victim but reporting must also be discreet. It should not give the impression that ‘anything is permissible’. This sense of total freedom is also fanning wrong attitudes in people that is causing much harm to humanity. Freedom can only be truly enjoyed and celebrated when it is tempered with a deep sense of responsibility — both for the state and our society.

We only need to put ourselves in another’s shoes to understand where it pinches. It is time that we embark on this self-imposed ‘thought experiment’ otherwise we would thoughtlessly be celebrating freedom while forgetting its true essence.

(Dr (Ms) Shashi Motilal (Retd) Professor of Philosophy, Department of Philosophy, University of Delhi, India, obtained her PhD from the State University of New York (SUNY) at Buffalo, USA in 1986. She has been Visiting Faculty at the University of Akron, Ohio, USA and Carleton University, ON, Canada, TERI University, New Delhi and IIT/Delhi and ISPP, New Delhi. This is an opinion piece and the views expressed above are the author’s own. The Quint neither endorses nor is responsible for the same.)