After decades of struggle for freedom, on 15th August 1947, India gained its independence from British rule which we celebrate as Independence Day. On January 26, 1950, India became a Republic and embraced its own constitution. The Constitution again avails a set of rights that consists of the Right to Freedom.
Freedom has been yearned not only by the nation as an entity but by each living individuals. Feeling free is a mental state of bliss that calms our nerves. Without freedom, each one of us is nothing but caged.
But what does freedom mean to you on a personal level?
To me, freedom refers to taking my own decisions, earning my own living, getting to go to places on my own, speaking freely, and a lot more.
On the occasion of Independence Day, LifeBeyondNumbers asked people from various professions what freedom means to them. Here are some of the responses that will amaze you.
Corporate Employee:
“Like Airtel broadband, freedom also has a band width. Upto 100 Mbps. Free to take decision, action, experiment, communicate upto 100 Mbps. It is measured for you and offered to you.” – Rajeev Das, Divisional Lead (Product).
“As a corporate employee, freedom is all about the right to make my own decisions at work and take ownership in the work without the fear of being questioned. Also, I can take breaks whenever I feel the need to and not be answerable to anyone.” – Mosiur Rehman, Amazon.
“As someone who plays multiple roles in life, freedom is the ability to chose and be happy with my choices. Freedom is to be ok with imperfection and to be mediocre, to make mistakes and not be judged, to grow and learn, every day. It is to choose my peace of mind and happiness over everything else.” – Gargee Dutta Mudoi, Vice President – Community, Smart Works.
Retired Producer, Doordarshan:
“For me independence means the right to question the authority without fear. Authority of the government, the judiciary and the bureaucracy,” – Sanjay Aggarwal, veteran Senior Producer, Doordarshan.
Teacher:
“I believe true freedom can be achieved when people around me will be free from judgemental mindset and I can do what I really want to do, without considering how negatively people are going to judge me, how it will hamper my image & what my parents are going to hear from these people. As a teacher, I’m not expected to wear shorts else it will hamper my image as a teacher. I have to live a secret life away from what I truly want to be. Even after being financially independent, I constantly get to hear I should be doing this/that & my relatives pester my parents. So overall, even after being free & independent I can’t act independently without thinking what people around me are going to think.” – Krishna Moharana, Teacher, Kendriya Vidyalaya.
Student:
“Freedom for me is to be independent enough to not depend on anyone either financially or mentally. Especialy after the Corona incident, I have understood the fact that to live independently is much more important than any other materialistic things in life. The need of going outside freely without any huddle or any fear and enjoy life on your own term is what I need to keep myself motivated and happy.” – Sonali Sarkar.
Pharmacist:
“Freedom will be when people will not be gender biased. Freedom is when a girl feels safe to return home late night after office. Freedom is when people stop judging and accepting your respecting your desicion.” – Shrikirti Das, Pharmacist.
PR turned Entrepreneur:
“Exploring different sectors of media, be it a PR agency, a radio channel or a news paper , projection of your ideas into stories the way you actually wanted was freedom for me. I have recently turned into an entrepreneur, and actually having power to work on what I believe and directing my subordinates to feel free to express is freedom for me. A single daughter of a single mother, working late nights coordinating with her vendors , customers, sub ordinates while dealing with her competitors during this pandemic without being worried about returning home early to decide the menu for dinner at home and without being pressurized to get married n settle plus letting my decision to choose between getting married n starting a business of my own at the age of 27, is freedom.” – Manisha Minz, PR turned Entrepreneur.
Home Maker:
“As a home maker I’m in custody of freedom. Miles to go to be free. All spheres are open but restricted with boundary.” – Alaka Mohapatro, Home Maker.
We also searched on the internet and found a similar question on Quora. Below are two responses we thought of including.
IT Engineer:
“A being having real freedom actually must meet the standard of being always happy and making others happy. He must never have anger, never fight with others, never struggle with others, and he must love others completely. We must attain this standard to be really free. Freedom is from your goodness, not from your power. As the purpose of freedom is to create it for others, it is one thing you can’t have unless you give it to others. Before you enjoy freedom you have to first control yourself.” – Saurabh Jain, IT Engineer.
Spiritual seeker:
“True Freedom is not ability to do what you wish to do but to do what you should do. Our current understanding of freedom is slavery to our sensuous impulses.” – A V Ramanathan, President, Chinmaya Mission.
Isn’t it interesting to note how we look at freedom from different perspectives and yet we aim for the same freedom?
What does freedom mean to you?