Independence 2.0

Over the years, the notion of India has largely revolved around the diversity narrative. Keeping the larger vision for the nation in mind, both for contemporary times and for the future, emphasis now lies on local manufacturing ('Made in India' and 'vocal' about 'local'). Before the nation approaches the global level, creation of world-class products promoting investments and value pricing remain the focus. This shall lead to establishment of a level-playing business ecosystem, keeping the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in mind. Not only will sustainability remain a key, increased participation of local craftsmen and artisans shall be witnessed as well.
For a successful Independence 2.0, the sentiments of India's rich cultural heritage will be tapped. All the aforementioned elements (such as Visva Guru Bharat, Aatmanirbhar Bharat) will be imbibed in spirit while implementing this vision. Along with imbibing ethos, marketing battles will also have to be fought in the fast evolving consumer world. Once this is achieved, then the same ethos will be carried at the globular stage – with Indian products competing across international categories. Thus, walking on the path towards the long awaited aspiration of India as 'Nation of the Future'.

Being an independent nation is a privilege reserved for a few and less than a century back we weren't part of this privileged clique. Looking at ourselves and our nation today it's hard to imagine that we were at the mercy of a foreign power. But are we truly free today?

The India of today is under the firm grasp of another kind of malevolent force, pollution. Pollution in all its forms, be it air pollution to plastic pollution, has the power to bring us to our knees if we allow things to continue the way they are. Plastic pollution, which is majorly driven by our dependence on single-use plastic, has led to toxic microplastic entering the food chain and accumulating in our stomachs. Air pollution, on the other hand, is silently killing us one breath at a time while we box ourselves in our chemical-laden homes, offices, and schools.

So how do we free ourselves of these oppressors? We can start by taking a leaf out of the books of all those who fought for our freedom, they gave up the comforts of their time to fight for a better future for us. In the context of pollution, we can first start by making small sustainable changes to our current lifestyle. In fact saying no to today's convenience driven way of life is as revolutionary as the protests our freedom fighters organised. We need to strive to keep disposable items, be it the demonised plastic spoon to the beatified wooden spoon, to the bare minimum and use the public transit systems like shuttle buses and trains over all other modes of transport to the best of our ability.

Small changes may seem easy to accomplish but consistently making these choices that go against the flow of the status quo of general populace is a task in itself, so one must always remember, nothing in this world that is worth having comes easy. Our fight for Independence did not come cheap. Countless unnamed men and women toiled tirelessly for almost a century to make way for an independent India and their efforts may have not benefited them directly but have ensured that our lives are much better than theirs could ever be. Let us all endeavor to do the same and ensure that the future generations to come will remember us as the generation that fought for our Independence from pollution.