by Saurabh Dubey

I bow to the richness of her glory, this eternal story of a timeless civilization, which even today stands tall like a sentinel of peace in the comity of nations.

Much before this land of peace and plenty was plundered, invaded and colonized, this soil gave the world a culture which has adorned humanity to become immortalized.

It is here the great Buddha gained enlightenment, the land where savants devoted their lives to philosophical enrichment, this land became the confluence of many cultures true to its all-embracing embodiment.

This land holds dear the highest ideals of Lord Rama the paragon amongst men of virtue, we are on the right path, though we still have many vices to eschew.

This is the land where a warrior Prince was counselled by Krishna Himself to fight for the glory of righteousness, the divine wisdom of Bhagwad Gita which was delivered on the battlefield revealed the supreme philosophy of soul’s infiniteness.

Just when she thought that the richness of her glory will flourish without end, she was shackled by her enemies and made to bleed and bend.

When she gained independence and paved the way for others, her colonial masters created a bloody rift, they showed no remorse for their crimes and partitioned her as a cruel parting gift.

Yet, she chose to rise from the ashes of her haunting legacy foisted on her by invaders and colonizers which for centuries had eclipsed her glorious past, with the resilience of her culture and might of her people she is close to realizing her true potential at last.

While the world looked away, when rivers of blood flowed in her neighbourhood with no end in sight, she crushed the army of fanatics and birthed a new nation with her righteous might.

She has always been a gentle giant, never the one to attack first, she does possess immense resolve to make her enemies bite the dust.

Whenever provoked her war machine has always blazed and thundered, ask her delusional neighbour in the west, they will vouch for it as at her feet they have always surrendered.

She has been confronted again by a bully who dreams of ruling others, with its untamed nature to coerce and covet it has ruffled many feathers. She has summoned her warriors to tackle and trounce this unruly beast, ultimately, she alone will be coronated as the undisputed Queen of the East.

Now she aims to reclaim the land which had been usurped from her by her ever-scheming enemies, the day is not far, when she will take back what belonged to her and unite generations of divided friends and families.

Even space as a frontier which is considered too far is well within her reach, the eluding orbits of Moon and Mars with her scientific might she has confidently breached.

This blessed land will forever be a spiritual magnet and source of eternal wisdom, always attracting and embracing pupils from all over the world to experience her mysticism.

This land is bestowed with majestic beauty and cultural riches immeasurable beyond the wonders of any enchanting story, where the mighty Himalayas crown her head and a vast ocean touches her feet, singing praises of her everlasting glory.

Wishing all my fellow Indians a Happy Independence Day.

Saurabh Dubey tracks military and aerospace issues closely. This Ode was written by him exclusively for IDN. Views expressed are of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of IDN