Was sifting through my inbox for some mail, when I chanced upon this short film review I had written for a contest last year somewhere around the Independence Day. Just realized that I hadn't shared it on this space. So here goes...

Fettered Freedom

A nation that is free of foreign rule yet chained by internal ogres - a whole people who no longer serve an imperial power but are slaves to circumstances of poverty, destitution and illiteracy – a freedom that is fettered – the 1-minute movie, Independence, by Neeraj Ghaywan is about the economically and politically liberated India that continues to bleed…

Through the character of a girl trying to make money by selling Indian flags, Neeraj walks us through the paradoxes that our country is torn between. The clichéd gap between the haves and have-nots is a stark reality that many of us try to forget in order to keep our conscience clear.

Though the imagery in the movie is hard hitting, and therefore, deeply unsettling and disturbing, the free entrepreneurial spirit of the girl whose eyes twinkle with hope and steps bounce with the urge to dance forward make me cross my fingers in faith that hers will be a more optimistic flight in life.

And, thus, Neeraj leaves his audience with conflicting emotions of despairing reality and desperate prayers for change.

A powerful and moving one-minute saga, Independence is not a one time must-watch. It is a must keep for a lifetime – a must-watch every time you curse your fate because your long list of wishes could not be fulfilled, every time you think you do not have enough, every time you are blinded by the neon lights of cushioned living, every time you are lost in the maze of money and the rat race, every time your soul feels smug with the camouflaging cob webs you have weaved around your self, every time the calendar reads 15th August and you plan your “holiday”.

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All this while I had been looking forward to this long weekend...(I mean I always look forward to any break from the humdrum of work life) ... I knew it's Republic Day, 26 Jan, but all that mattered to me was that it was on a Monday and it extended the breather I needed between the taxing Monday to Friday routine.
It is unfortunate.

Here I am a young Indian woman in her mid-twenties, in a way representative of the nouveau urbane Indian populace that juggles with some-what equal ease between corporate boardrooms and cubicle spaces, domestic and international airports, state transport buses, autorickshaws and air-conditioned cabs, paranthe waali gali and pizza hut, idli dosa and pasta arrabiata, dandiya-raas and discotheques, lehenga-choli and Guess attire, and other numerous dichotomies our fast-paced lives are caught up in thanks to the big mad race of LIFE itself.

So far so good, but, am also an Indian who is proud of my rich cultural heritage and ashamed at the religious disharmony; delighted at the technological advancement and disappointed at the abject poverty, overjoyed to see how Indians are recognized worldwide for their prowess in various industries and fields and upset at the guys who spit "paan" on the stairs of the Metro station. I hate the politicians for their inaction and salute the armed forces for their heroism.

I feel, I feel strongly, I argue, I blog, I even shed a tear or two when I see the heart-wrenching scenes of devastation on TV but I do nothing. I am representative of the nouveau urbane Indian populace that slams all politicians at the first provocation but does not want to join politics. I blame the system, I ask for salvation, I detest corruption but I choose the easy way out as an IT professional or something that secures my life. I do not want to write the civil services exam, politics is a dog's game, social service can become messy. My house is dirty, and I want to clean it but I don't want to get my hands in scum. I am responsible for my parents, need to plan for my kids, have a family to look after. The larger mass is frankly not my headache. I am aware of what's going on but I cannot do anything to change it. It is not in my means. Imagine if big industrialists, moneyed goons, educated bureaucrats all fail, who am I?

No, I and millions like me, the vast majority of the youth today, are not completely wrong; we argue too well. There's a reason why there are people-elects, there's a reason why there's a democracy, there's a reason why the legal system is in place. I cannot be held accountable for others' jobs. I maybe guilty of inaction but atleast I am not doing anything wrong. I am a seeker of change but sadly do not see myself as the agent of change.

And thus, year after year, 15th August and 26 January come and go... some patriotic songs on the radio and patriotic movies on the TV channels..else just another holiday...

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