70 Years Past Midnight - Part I

-- January 30, Martyr's Day -- noble and martyred wrapped in the colours they served nation in their legacy *** August 14, 1947 Jawaharlal Nehru stood before The Parliament - Words were spoken, recounted this century as clear as then. “Long years ago, we made a tryst with destiny; and now the time comes when we shall redeem our pledge, not wholly or in full measure, but very substantially. 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 an age ends, and when the soul of a nation, long suppressed, finds utterance. It is fitting that at this solemn moment we take the pledge of dedication to the service of India, her people, and to the still larger cause of humanity. The turning-point is past, and history begins anew for us, the history which we shall live and act and others will write about.” August 15, 2017 Policemen are positioned at the borders of states. Stars are thanked at the break of dawn - the night passed without their lives. Embassies light up with stories of the past - They play out on facades for the holidayer in traffic. Tiny hands wave paper flags at the rural side of the city. In the August heat, parades are viewed from terraces barefoot. Students wear pins in a march. The sole aim ~ Giving back more than we get. A day cannot sleep without celebration of culture: saffron, white and green twenty nine states on stage - nation in their eyes .. continuation posted