Dance of the Falling Leaf

बढ़ गया था प्यास का एहसास दरिया देखकर , हम पलट आये मगर पानी को प्यासा देखकर.

A girl’s speech on Independence Day

So much has been said already by people whose words carry much more meaning than mine, that it seems that whatever I write here might just turn out to be a mixture of ideas of various people over time. So I am not going to burden myself with heavy quotes and deep philosophical and social relevance of independence. What I will write about is a young girl’s speech on 15th August. A speech which very few people heard and even fewer grasped. A speech that I remember to date, not because the speaker was voluble or cogent, but simply because it was the first honest oration I have ever heard in my life.

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“Dear friends we gather today on the occasion which you are very well aware of. People before me have spoken about challenges in science, space and economy. They have talked angrily about our system’s failure in certain areas. Being a junior as I am, I agree to whatever that has been said by my predecessors. Therefore I will not discuss those things again with you. What I will tell you is the story of a young boy born somewhere in India. It matters not whether he is rich or poor , whether he is intelligent or dumb. What matters most is that he was born in a country which we inhabit too, and thus happens to be our brother.

His parents sent him to school to carry on the family tradition. To carry on the business already handled by his brothers. The business, he saw only benefited some of his brothers while others accumulated losses. So he decided not to take up the regular business. He decided to be a miner and dig for diamonds. The people around him, told him that there were no diamonds left in the country. All mines had already been exhausted of its jewels.

But, undeterred he carried on. He chose a site and started digging. He dug day and night, toiled hard but could get no diamonds. People around him, his brothers, forced him to stop, but he never lent an ear to what they had to say. He was determined to get diamonds for he thought that this was still a precious country. Then one day it happened. God appeared in his dreams and told him the exact site to look for diamonds. Next day he started digging at the same place and got what he wanted most. Those precious jewels which he had earned by his hard work and courage, were all his now.

This is where the story ends. You might think I wasted your precious time by telling you a story without any message. But if you think closely the message is clear and loud for all of us to hear.

“ At present we need less businessmen and more miners”

And with that message I close my speech so that I can also get a taste of the ice-creams to be given out today.

Thank you very much for your patience,

Jai Hind.”

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I hope you liked it and I don’t think I have anything more to say now. So even I say “Vande Matram” and sign off. Have a nice day.