~Khushi Rathore
Freedom fighters were people who sacrificed their lives selflessly for the freedom of their country. Every country has its fair share of freedom fighters. People look up to them in terms of patriotism and love for one’s country. They are considered the epitome of patriotic people. Freedom fighters made sacrifices which one cannot even imagine of doing for their loved ones, leave alone the country. The amount of pain, hardships, and opposite they have endured cannot be put into words. The generations after them will always be indebted to them for their selfless sacrifices and hard work.
Various reports surfaced earlier in August about INA veteran Shripatji, now a beggar. Contrast this with One Rank One Pay protests by Indian Army veterans, who get five-figure pensions. Why does an INA veteran not get the same pension as an Army veteran? Not withstanding their freedom fight, INA isn’t considered a legitimate army by the government of India. It is ironic that when INA was fighting for India’s freedom, the pre-1947 predecessor of Indian Army was fighting against INA’s Indian freedom fighters, to maintain colonial rule.
After August 15, 1947, those who fought for the British against INA freedom fighters became the government of India’s official army, rank and pension protected. To this day, Indian Army cherishes the memory of the exploits of its regiments in assisting British colonial invasion and suppressing native people and their free countries in the subcontinent and beyond.
Furthermore, most of the freedom fighters even went to war to safeguard the freedom of their people. It did not matter that they had no training; they did it for the pure intention of making their country free. Most of the freedom fighters sacrificed their lives in the war for independence. Most importantly, freedom fighters inspired and motivated others to fight injustice. They are the pillars behind the freedom movement. They made people aware of their rights and their power. It is all because of the freedom fighters that we prospered into a free country free from any kind
of colonizers or injustice. This was not exceptional among the native rulers to whom the British had transferred power in Rulers of Islamabad air-bombed also its own citizens in Balochistan in 1973.
Khuangchera had been among the earliest martyrs resisting invasion, but he was not the last. Kuangchera’s is also not the only case where tags such as “Indian freedom fighter”, drilled into Indian citizens by official textbooks and narratives and repeated ad nauseum, failed to capture complex past realities. In many other instances, fraudulent claims of Indian official history are at odds with unofficial public knowledge. U Tirot Singh, another so-called forgotten hero who was on the list of 10 North Eastern freedom fighters honoured on Independence Day, fought not for Indian nationalism but to protect the sovereignty of the Khasi country (now Meghalaya) from
colonisers.
Much to the central government’s displeasure, many people have steadfastly held on to facts and memories that have been deliberately twisted, suppressed and airbrushed out of the official Indian version of history that exists, among other things, to justify the Indian Union’s present territorial limits and power structures.
India has seen a lot of freedom fighters who fight for their motherland. Firstly, The father of the nation, Mahatma Gandhi. He choose the path of non- violence and won freedom without any armers, only the truth and peace were there weapon .
Secondly, Rani Lakshmi Bai was a great freedom fighter,an empowering woman. Fought for the country despite so many hardships. A mother never
gave up her country because of her child, instead took him to the battlefield to fight against injustice. Moreover, she was so inspiring in numerous ways.
Freedom fighters are what made our country what it is today. However, we see nowadays people are fighting for everything they stood against. We must come together to not let communal hatred come between and live up to the Indian dream of these freedom fighters. Only then will we honor their sacrifices and memory. “So as long as you do not achieve social liberty, whatever freedom is provided by the law is of no avail to you.”
