Tag: Independence

Asia, India

Freedom at midnight: Indian independence came at a high cost

  Today, on the 70th birthday of my homeland, I reread Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru’s evocative speech, delivered just before India gained independence from oppressive British rule. At the stroke of the midnight hour, when the world sleeps, India will awake to life and freedom. A moment comes, which comes but rarely in history, when we step out from the old to the new, when … Continue reading Freedom at midnight: Indian independence came at a high cost

Moni Basu
Bangladesh, India, Pakistan, Religion, War, War & Conflict

The price of independence

It’s too bad “Midnight’s Children” was a bust at the box office. I’m thinking that Deepa Mehta was perhaps the wrong director to give us the celluloid depiction of Salman Rushdie’s terrific book, which won the Booker Prize in 1981. The protagonist and narrator of Rushdie’s story, Saleem Sinai, is born at the exact moment when India gained independence from Britain. The film, had it been … Continue reading The price of independence

Moni Basu3 Comments
Racism

The Fourth of July

On the Fourth of July, I ask you: Should African-Americans celebrate this day? They were slaves when the Declaration of Independence was crafted. Should Native Americans celebrate this day? The white man obliterated them from their lands. Or perhaps the right question to ask is: How should people of color celebrate American independence? The answer is varied and often, personal. I am proud to have … Continue reading The Fourth of July

Moni Basu
Pakistan

Freedom and flooding

A difficult agreement created Pakistan 63 years ago. The “land of the pure” was partitioned off from India and both nations became independent — Pakistan on August 14, 1947 and India a day later. Though it split India apart, we were finally free. No more British Empire. No more second-class citizenry. That’s why today should have been like any other August 14. Joyful. Celebratory. Patriotic. … Continue reading Freedom and flooding

Moni Basu