'Independence'

I wrote about the Google spreadsheet invitation becoming easy in my last post. Some people seemed interested. Well at least I am interested in a lot of these new innovations in technology. Mr. SA, one of those interested, asked me about my comments about the innovation. Well, the concept is worthwhile and for a lot of people it actually makes sense. Simultaneous editing and viewing of spreadsheets, and for that matter, other applications like the word program can go a long way. I would like to say that it would be helpful to me, but I am not that much sure, as the field I am going into involves a lot of secrecy in its work. So, though we would be working with spreadsheets for the entire time, it is quite probable that people in the field would not be enthusiastic about making content available on the web, inspite of the privacy being promised. As of now, the features are also only basic but good enough for bloggers to get excited.

Sometime back (precisely 4 years, when I just started my undergraduate studies), I started listening about the concept of independence and freedom. This was the first time I was out of my home (and into the world, so to say). At that time, I could not relate to it. But now I can and am enjoying it a bit. I was not sure why anybody would like to have it, but now I feel that how can anybody live without it. It is not to say that complete freedom is the way to go; but upto a certain level it is necessary for the very existence. A recent example was when I along with my friends had to go on a hunger strike. None of us asked about the same but after committing, the information was sent via our cellphones.

I like reading autobiographies, and not biographies. The reason being that biography again is like hearing about someone from someone else, which is something we are accustomed to. An autobiography, on the other hand, lets me hear from the person himself. The views expressed may not be 100% authentic, but whatever we can get is worth the reading.

Currently, I am in the middle of the autobiography of Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru. It is a good embodiment of a life, which anyone interested in the Indian freedom struggle can have a look. It covers, in detail, the period of his life upto 1934, when he was in jail (or gaol) as he like calling it. He wrote the autobiography in jail and so not much is present of after 1934. Only a chapter has been added in 1940 filling in some gap. However, I would have liked more details of the period closer to independence as well as the time he was the Prime Minister of India.

It is a good read; not only because of the fact that Nehruji was good at English, but also because it enabled me to see the other side of the picture, and maybe the person. This generation are filled with those who believe that most of the freedom fighters could have done a lot better. They took a lot of time in “gaining” independence for the country. Some may even believe that it was not even gained and was just a result of the weakening of the British after the second world war. This generation believes in the methods of Bhagat Singh and party to be used as a means to meet their ends.

Reading the autobiography made me think if all of the above was actually true. Whether we were justified in taking the sacrifices as things which were unnecessary and useless? Nehruji has put Bhagat Singh and others in the category of terrorists, which is certainly not something which one would do now; but at that time may be the concept of terrorism was quite different. One thing I have started admiring about Nehruji (important to note, that before the book, all the things I had heard about him or rather believed about him, were not something to be admired) was his persistent demand for Independence (and nothing else). While many others, including Mahatma Gandhi, gave way to things at the cost of Independence, but Nehruji did not.

May be I have started relating to him due to this ‘Independence’.