What can celebrating India's independence day abroad teach us?

15th of August, 1947 was a special day for India. It was not just the day when the British left our country but also the day when our forefathers finally could tell their children that they are no longer slaves to a foreign government. They could now live an Indian way of life freely without being scared of the foreign rulers prosecuting them for the same.

As an Indian born in the late 1980's, this day is still of great significance for me and no doubt this will continue to be so for the future generations. But I found great meaning in the saying, 'Till you face the hardship, you will never appreciate the good times that come along with it'. Just think about how our forefathers must have felt when they were told their country is finally free after 200 years of slavery and suffering. Our generation will never understand this. Not sure if we will ever have that state of joy and unity amongst all our countrymen ever again. Is it a blessing or a curse?

By living in India for 95% of my life till now and living abroad for the remaining 5%, I came across a similar feeling. There are 2 ways of Independence Day celebrations that I have seen.

Independence Day celebrations in India

15th of August was a special day during school life as it was one of the 2 days in a year, when children had to go to school by 7 am for the flag hoisting ceremony followed by singing the National Anthem. Post that it was a holiday.

But after you finish education and start your professional life, I have not come across any meaningful way that we Indians (staying in India) celebrate Independence Day. Usually, it includes dressing up in an Indian attire to work on 14th of August, singing the national anthem with your colleagues and getting free food at work (depends on how generous your HR Department is!).

And what happens on 15th of August? Public Holiday. Either we are drunk, away for a holiday or we end up watching Border, LOC Kargil or 1947 - A Love Story on Star Gold / Zee Cinema.  

Some of us do end up attending flag hoisting ceremonies in our clubs, housing colonies, work or various communities. But the question is will all this remind us of that landmark day on which all our countrymen must have felt that amazing feeling of finally celebrating freedom with thousands of Indians?  I could never equate the significance of the occasion and the way we celebrated it to be very effective.

And then I got a chance to experience Independence Day abroad.

Independence Day celebrations outside India
 
Now before I talk about my experience, I will tell you about my conversation with an Indian gentleman I met a while ago. He is in his late 60's and had moved to Australia around 1980. He mentioned that when he moved abroad, it was actually a rare sight to find another Indian living abroad. Indian grocery shops, restaurants, and even knowledge about India amongst the locals was non-existent.

Imagine that sight, and look at the scenario now. I remember my consumer behaviour professor mentioning that our country's GDP & progress alone does not make us a super power. India is a super power because the Indian way of living (be it food, culture, talent, immigrants) have spread far and wide in the world. Every locality in the world today will have at least one Indian restaurant and that is why India is a super power.

Celebrating Independence Day abroad is really a special feeling. No, I am not referring to that scene in Kabhi Khushi Kabhi Gham scene.

But seeing your country's flag being hoisted abroad and singing the national anthem with fellow Indians whom you don't know, does make you feel proud.

A normal Independence Day celebration abroad includes meeting thousands of fellow Indians at a gathering where the flag hoisting is done and an opportunity to experience local Indian culture which includes live music & dance performances and regional Indian food. It's certainly not something which is out of the box. It's just simple stuff which is very effective in uniting people and getting them together. Being in India, how often do we get this opportunity?

I am not promoting the NRI way of life in any way. It's just that often staying in our own country we don't appreciate things that are easily available. Hope this blog post motivates at least some of you to think about this and gets you to feel more Indian on this Independence Day!

Jai Hind! Here's wishing everyone a Happy Independence Day again!