Freedom through 3 generations….VARINDER BHATIA
What Independence means to those who helped win it, to those who grew up with the legacy and to those born into it, as described by four freedom fighters, their children and grandchildren
What Independence means to those who helped win it, to those who grew up with the legacy and to those born into it, as described by four freedom fighters, their children and grandchildren
Family of many views united in one: this was not the dream
Ved Prakash Mehra, 95, bedridden at his Chandigarh home after two heart attacks, is proud to have been part of a struggle that saw him jailed three times in the 1940s, though he is unhappy about what has followed since.
His son Ashwani Kumar says the freedom achieved is meaningless till the country conquers problems such as unemployment, poverty and caste wars. And granddaughter Rupali wonders why India, 64 years on, still lacks opportunities for bright young citizens.
Mehra, born to a family of freedom fighters in 1926, first went to jail at age five with his mother Sukhdevi, who had raised the Indian flag in front of British soldiers. He was 16 when jailed for two years in 1942, and matriculated from jail after being arrested in 1945 for the third time.
The British then ruled India; now corruption, politics and terrorism are ruling. The terrorism, bloodshed, corruption and price rise pain me… It was peace, love and progress that we saw for our country, he says.
Retired from Panjab University as superintendent in May 1986, Mehra was allotted a plot in Sector 43 by the Chandigarh Administration in 1987. Mehra and his wife Bimala Rani, now ailing, have three sons. Harish works and lives on the Panjab University campus while Krishan and Ashwani, also working, live with them. Grandchildren Tanu and Rupali are B Com students; Aditya, Pratibha and Vipul are at school.
Tanu says, Our grandfather and great-grandparents fought for the countrys freedom; but we wonder if this kind of freedom will lead us anywhere. After more than six decades as a free nation, we still have not been able to provide even basic meals to all citizens.
Recommendations dictate government and private jobs… People are fighting over caste, killing each other… It was not the goal of our parents. There should be jobs, food and accommodation for all. Till then, freedom is meaningless, says Ashwani.
Krishan Kumar says, Bhagat Singhs brother and sister visited my father in 70s and appreciated his role. Top politicians used to touch my fathers feet and ask him to let them do something for him and his family. But my father was always content. He gets Rs 10,600 as pension from PU. He was offered a government pension by Indira Gandhi but refused. He could have got us government jobs but never wanted favours.
Rupali says, With such a huge population and its resources, our free nation should have been among the most developed nations of the world. There have to be more education and job avenues for the young, or the brilliant lot will keep leaving the country.