Indian Independence Day

Independence Day

15th august, 1947 midnight

After all the pains taken, after the entire freedom struggle… the Indians felt their land again, their free land. The country was all theirs again. Indian land felt its national flag again and everyone saluted it. An old woman cried with joy though she had lost all her relatives. She sat down on the sand and kissed it. She was overwhelmed with happiness. They were actually free again. After years of struggle, after being beaten up and after having lost their loved ones; they still survived.

A married woman looked outside her house from lifting her purdah upwards. She saw her husband and father-in-law celebrating outside her half- broken house. She had a smile on her face. Her husband was shouting- ‘Azaadi, Azaadi’ outside their house when he turned with a huge smile on his face and saw his wife looking at him with her risen purdah.
He was enraged and he rushed towards the house. His wife quickly covered her face again but was already seen. He slapped her hard across her face, she fell down and tears rolled down her cheeks.
“What do you want to show to other men outside? That you are beautiful and available? Is one man not enough for you? If this happens again I’ll burn you alive.” After this he left and she kept lying on the floor.
She had to stay alone in that house. She wondered if she could call herself free. She starts remembering the independence struggle and her contribution in order to attain it.
Sita, was 27 years old. She was born on 15 august, 1920 in a village near Delhi. Soon after her birth, her mother died and she was considered inauspicious. Her father remarried and his second wife gave birth to a boy. Her childhood was spent observing Mahatma Gandhi and other freedom fighters around and she was captivated by their passion. She believed that her position would change too. One day she’ll be given education and will fight the British. She was very intelligent.
When she was 10, she heard about the Dandi march led by Bapuji. A year later, efforts of Bhagat singh, Rajguru and Sukhdev had failed. She was inspired by them and somewhere knew they will be free one day. She belonged to a very conservative family and was to be married at an early age. Her father saw her reading and beat her.
When she turned 15, she was married to a man who was 12 years older to her but she could not refuse. Soon after her marriage the family demanded children and she gave birth to four daughters, out of which the first two were twins. She was ill-treated because she couldn’t give birth to a boy. She was now given the last warning. She was only 18 then. Finally, at the age of 20 she gave birth to a boy. On the day of the birth of the boy, her husband and father-in-law were in the jail as they were a part of the freedom struggle. She had to take care of the family and also kept herself secretly updated.
Within her husband’s tenure in the jail, she joined the women in strikes and protests. She made posters. Her husband was released in 1942, during the Quit India Movement. He was still busy in the struggle while a fire broke out in that area. No one ever knew about it because it was a small unimportant village. She rescued the family and managed to get water to put off the fire. She kept herself busy with the happenings of the struggle and lent a hand whenever required. She still never ignored the family.
She spoke the local language and wore only khadi to discourage the English. She continued to take care of her family and also put up with the humiliation she had to go through created out of her husband’s frustration.
Finally, on her 27th birthday, India was free from the colonial rule. She made her silent contributions but they were not recognized because she was a follower, not a leader. She was just an ordinary woman in some corner of a small village and it was her duty to do everything she did.
Reforms made for women came into practice. The purdah system was removed, sati was abolished, female children were to be respected and given education.
She thought about the whole time and decided to leave home. She thought she would become something and come back to take her children. She was happy. She left a letter for her husband and left.
Soon after she left, her husband discovered her being missing and looked for her. She was found and got beaten up and burnt down in front of a million people who never spoke about it again.

It is because of women like Sita that we have freedom today, the real freedom. Her efforts might not be recognized but her contribution cannot be ignored. Sita helped proving the strength of women and all men should always remember that.

(written in school for the school board)