Today, our honorable President of India ‘unfurls’ the Indian tricolor. Why is it ‘unfurled’ and not ‘hoisted’? On this day since 1950, the tricolor is unfurled, that is, the flag stays high up at the tip of the flag pole, (not at the middle or lower height of the pole) folded, and is spread out with the pull of the rope. This is the unfurling of the tricolor. It signifies that as a flag of an already free country, it cannot stay hung at a lower height, but is held high above. 

The celebrations begin with the honorable Prime Minister paying homage to the Unknown Soldier also known as “Amar Jawan” at the National War Memorial. It is then followed by the welcoming of the dignitaries, the unfurling of the tricolor, signing of the national anthem. Then, the newly renovated Rajpath known as “Kartavya-Path” has thousands of visitors seated to witness the spectacular celebrations marked by the march pasts of various contingents of the Army, Navy & Air Force, fly pasts by aircraft & helicopters and then followed by the tableaus of various states based on a certain theme.

As we complete 75 years of Republic, here are some aspects that we carry forward for the benefit of our country & for our future:

1. Unity in diversity: One of the most important qualities that each one of us needs to possess. A country’s progress is determined not only by its energy, rule, resources, and abilities but also by the unity among its citizens across all aspects. The stronger the unity, the more powerful & higher would be the country’s growth.
2. Fundamental rights: All of us know about the fundamental rights in the Constitution. But how many of us have practiced or continue to practice them?
   A good society is one where people ensure that not only their but also others’ rights are protected so that they are not deprived of any rights. People must be treated equally wherever needed, speech must be allowed to an extent based on the situation, and exploitation of anybody on any grounds must be dealt with seriously.
3. Role of youth in nation building & support: In today’s generation, we the youth are the future pillars of support for the development of the country in all aspects. It is our education, knowledge, hard work, and smart work that will make a great combo in being utilized in many sectors towards the growth of the nation & the economy.
4. Environmental consciousness: With the growth of machinery, systems & technology, the amount of resource usage has increased incredibly in a large manner owing to global warming & other types of pollution. With ‘sustainability’ being the term used commonly nowadays, it’s time that we act smart, use alternative sources of energy or resources judiciously & behave in an environment-friendly manner.
5. Digital India: For a decade, the country has been seeing enormous growth in the digitalization of many services. This has made people’s work more efficient & smarter by avoiding any queue system & unwanted time consumption. Eg: the linking of the Aadhaar card with almost all services like PAN, Ration card, voter ID, driver’s license, passport, and bank account has made tracking fraud activities more simple for the cyber-crime department.
   The encouragement of Start-Ups has also paved the way for a new & digitalized Bharat to ensure that connectivity becomes much more innovative & that people across the world would be eager to look up to us.
   Grievance & address portals have now become digital to ensure that people don’t commute long distances to file complaints, instead, they can access the software & use it from any part of the country.
6. Art & culture: Though we keep moving into the world of technology & mass development, India must never forget its past due to its variety of art, culture & tradition that has & continues to inspire thousands of people across the globe. Getting to know about our own culture & practices will not only make us feel happy but also make us feel proud to say to the world that we come from a land of great culture!
7. Gender equality & women empowerment: In previous days, people think that only men have the dominant power to do whatever they feel like. But, in this generation, it is not so. Women have become equally capable & strong and are showing that they can also pursue their ambitions as high as possible and make their family & country proud. We men need to support them so that they feel secure in society and grow up bravely like us in all walks of life. A few examples are Rani Lakshmi Bhai, Kalpana Chawla, P.V. Sindhu, Saina Nehwal, Indra Nooyi, Priyanka Chopra, Pratibha Patil, Kiran Bedi IPS and our current President of India – Mrs. Draupadi Murmu.
8. Remembering our heroes: Our country got freedom from the horrors of the British due to the sacrifices made by the freedom fighters & our mighty soldiers who laid down their lives. Hence, every year, on such occasions, let us spend at least 5 minutes to observe silence by paying homage to them for their sacrifices that led to our nation becoming an independent one.

In terms of maintaining foreign policies, some of the steps taken by the government in ensuring the safety of the citizens on foreign soil has to be highlighted & appreciated. Some of them are:

1. 15^th August 2021 – Afghanistan’s takeover by Taliban. Later, a rescue operation was framed called “Operation Kabul” to bring Indians stuck in Kabul safely back to Indian soil.
2. 24^th February 2022 – Russia’s attack on Ukraine. Later, negotiations were held with both Ukraine & Russian governments to seize fire in order to bring back Indians safely by creating a rescue operation called “Operation Ganga”.

To conclude with, here is a quote from one of the greatest freedom fighters, Netaji Subash Chandra Bose:

“Men, money and materials cannot by themselves bring victory or freedom. We must have the motive-power that will inspire us to brave deeds and heroic exploits.”

So, Ladies & Gentlemen, let us all join hands together to bring about a difference in each one of us in some way or the other, so that our country’s pride gets lifted higher & higher!!!

-Durgeshwar Iyer (Batch 2025)