India Independence Day: Celebrities on what independence means to them
India will be celebrating 75 years of independence on 15th August. It is one of the most significant days in the life of every Indian. BizAsia brings you this feature; celebrities from television and Bollywood talk about what Independence Day means to them. They also talk about their favourite freedom fighter, patriotic song and patriotic film.
Sudhanshu Pandey
Independence means rebirth of my country. We are living our life happily because of our freedom fighters. We can breathe freely. It is significant for me because it gives me a sense of Pride. I feel very proud when I realise, our India was under British rule for so many years, with the help of the freedom fighters and the leaders we are living our lives freely today. My favourite freedom fighter is ” Bhagat Singh”. I love the films of Manoj Kumar. The film is always patriotic. My favourite patriotic song is “Mera Rang De Basanti Chola”.
Anuj Sachdeva
Independence Day means freedom of speech for me. I believe we have taken it for granted with time since the new gen has not gone through the sacrifices done by so many leaders during the pre-independence era to remove British rule. It’s shameful how a lot of Genz kids don’t even know the names of the leaders who had given their lives to lay the foundation of the free India they breathe in today. Fav freedom fighter will always be Gandhi ji (Mahatma Gandhi). He is known to be the Father Of The Nation for a reason and has always been praised for his way of living worldwide. And, my favourite patriotic film is Gandhi.
Mitaali Nag
Independence Day is surely a day which reinforces the patriotic spirit in me. The whole year we are busy hustling in our lives, but this particular day always reminds me that this hustling would have no meaning to it if I wouldn’t have had an independent country to live in. It is significant in so many ways, the most important being it reminds me of the sacrifice the freedom fighters made for us to live in peace in a free country. It is so inspiring. My favourite freedom fighter is Rani Lakshmi Bai. She has set such a great example for women. Being a woman she did not give up and revolted against the British and fought in the battlefield. Even having an infant did not stop her from playing the role of a warrior. Salute to Rani Lakshmi Bai. I can’t name one film which is my favourite as I love watching such movies that invoke the spirit of patriotism in me. Be it ‘Gadar’, ‘Kesari’, ‘Tanhaji’, or ‘Rang De Basanti’, all these movies I keep watching time and again. *(song not mentioned)
Jay Zaveri
Independence Day is very significant for every Indian. For the past 75years all Indians get a chance to remember the sacrifices and struggles made by our freedom fighters to free India from British rule. It reminds us of the founding fathers who envisioned and realised the foundation of free India. It makes us realise that our ancestors have done their part and now it lies in our hands, how we shape the future of our country. I am proud of all our freedom fighters but there’s an ideology by Lokmanya Tilak which resonates a little more than others, he was one of the first freedom fighters, leader of the Indian Independence movement. Tilak started the Swadeshi movement and proved how words can play a major role in the establishment and inspiring the masses. Through his articles in ‘Kesari’ and ‘Maratha’, he motivated so many people to take part in the freedom struggle. He was one of the first freedom leaders who started this. About patriotic films and songs, one of my favorite films is ‘Swades’ and the song is “Yeh Jo Desh Hai Tera”.
Charrul Malik
Independence is happiness. Independence Day means today, we have the freedom to have our right to education, speech, and many more things. Independence to me is about making my own choices, own decisions, fending for myself and not being dependent on anyone for monetary or materialistic needs. To me, freedom is synonymous with opportunity. The opportunity to say what’s on my mind, make mistakes, dream, and the opportunity to translate our dreams to reality. Freedom isn’t something we wait for somebody to give us; we earn it and then defend it passionately. I like Mahatma Gandhi most. He is my favourite leader. He was a very simple man. His sympathy and love for the underprivileged inspired him to fight for them. He helped people in need without expecting anything in return. He always told the people to do their work on their own without depending on others. I believe the people of India were inspired to follow Gandhi ji because he never claimed to be a god or a superhuman. He admitted his mistakes and never blamed anyone. ‘Chhodo Kal Ki Baatein, Kal Ki Baat Purani, Naye Daur Mein Likhenge Hum Mil Kar Naye Kahaani, Hum Hindustani, Hum Hindustani’ and Border are my fav patriotic song and film, respectively.
Vijayendra Kumeria
Independence Day for me is a day when we celebrate our freedom, pay respect to the freedom fighters who made great sacrifices for getting us this freedom that we are enjoying and also celebrate the progress that we have made post independence. I salute the courage Bhagat Singh had at that young age. The passion he had and the sacrifice he made has made him immortal. He is my favourite. Mera Rang De Basanti Chola is my favourite song. Ajay Devgn starrer ‘The Legend of Bhagat Singh’ is my favourite patriotic film.
Sudha Chandran
The word independence signifies freedom. For me Independence Day means an independent nation. It’s a huge thing. Today I am also talking about free India, and how our country has grown in the last 75 years. I am proud to be born as an Indian. Almost 200 years we were under British rulers. Today India has grown in leaps and bounds. In every sector, in every field or part of the world, Indians have contributed to the growth of every economy. For me that’s Independence. After getting independence people started thinking of new things, started growing. In every field we have Indians in top positions. For me every freedom fighter, army, navy definitely contributed to the growth of India. It’s very difficult to talk about only one freedom fighter. They also believed in teamwork. My favourite patriotic song is Ae Mere Vatan Ke Logo. I have always felt connected with Manoj Kumar sir’s films. We all call him Mr Bharat. I liked the films ‘Shahid’, ‘Purab Aur Pachhim’, ‘Kranti’, where they talked about patriotism in a very beautiful way.
Mreenal Deshraj
Independence means freedom of expression and speech for me. This is the 75th year of Independence and I am proud to be an Indian. I salute the soldiers who fought for our country.
My favourite freedom fighter is “Subhash Chandra Bose” and my favourite patriotic film is ‘Border’.
Saanand Verma
Independence Day means alot to me. It’s a great day. We always remember our freedom fighters. It’s a very proud movement for all of us. Now we are living because of them. They made a lot of sacrifices for us. I always feel grateful to everyone who sacrificed their lives for the freedom of India. Nobody enjoys slavery that’s why Independence is most important for everyone, everybody wants to be independent. My favourite freedom fighter is “Subhash Chandra Bose”. He fought for our country and because of him we got the help of other countries. He fought for our independence. He started his own army. I feel Subhas Chandra Bose is the greatest freedom fighter of India. My favourite patriotic film is ‘Border’ which is directed by J. P. Dutta. The film is amazing. I cried so many times watching the movie. My favourite patriotic song is “Dekho Veer Jawano”. My father was a great poet. He wrote a lot of patriotic poetry. I like one of them is
“Jo raat ja rahi hain jane do, jo divas aa raha hai aane do, iss subh sham ke zagde ko aapas main hi niptane do, hum bhut , bhavishya, vartaman tino kalo ko bandhenge, swarnim atit ke taat par se swar vartaman ka sadhenge,
ujwal bhavishya ka laksha bhed karne porush ka tir chale, vah path pawan baan jata hain jise path se hokar veer chale. This is the poetry written by my father.
Himanshu Malhotra
At the moment it’s just become a day where we get holiday and spend time with our family, watching parades. When I was in Delhi we used to fly kites but it is not happening anymore. As you wake up in the morning of Independence day the most amazing thing that happens is patriotic songs start to play on loud speakers. It reminds us that millions of people of our country have sacrificed their life so that we can live in our country. We did get freedom from the people who were dominating us and literally destroying us. I’m glad all our ancestors, grandparents, whoever sacrificed their life. They sacrificed for the new generation so that they can contribute something to our life which they have. I’m just hoping somewhere down the lane we all get together and celebrate this day. Remembering all the people who have sacrificed their lives for us. We need to be free from the cocoon we are stuck in. Mahatma Gandhi Ji is my favourite freedom fighter. I have read his book My experiments with truth and it is really amazing. He valued truth in his life. I try to follow his path and make truth a part of my life. He is an important part of our independence. I try to be like him. Ghar chale hum fida is my favourite patriotic song. Manoj Kumar Ji has made a lot of films related to patriotism. I was recently a part of ‘Shershaah’ which is also a good film. Rang de basanti and Tirangaa are also my favourite.
Riya Sengupta
Independence means freedom. It means a lot to me as an Indian. It means taking responsibility for our own decisions and living on our own terms. My favourite patriotic film is ‘Shershaah’ and favourite song is “Jaihind ki Senaa”.
