India at 75. A commentary on freedom.

Freedom is the ability to act without fear. The actions could be speaking one's mind, opening a business, traveling to destination of one's choice and even to do nothing at all. Freedom is enabled by personal security. Security against hunger, security that comes with shelter and security that your individual plan for life will not be upset by the changes around you. What is the pursuit of happiness other than the feeling that you can work yourself to a better situation by acquiring the education and the skills you think you need? These thoughts come to mind on the occasion of India's 75th Independence Day. I am an American citizen now, but I feel I can credibly express some fresh perspectives on freedom.

1. Is everyone in India free? The answer is clearly no. Kashmiris aren't free. Nagas want freedom. The land belongs to the people and the people should be able to decide if they want to be associated with a certain country or they want to be by themselves. My Gujarati family emigrated to Maharashtra generations ago. I think Maharashtra would do better as a free country. It doesn't make sense for Maharashtra to send money to the central government when farmers in its own province Vidarbha commit suicide when crops fail. The central government was created by the British to manage India. Unfortunately, we Indians have been trained to think that the political party in power in Delhi is indistinguishable from India.
2. The meaning of the word Adivasi is - early resident. If land ownership were to be decided by who occupied the land first, then India belongs to Adivasis. Everyone else must start paying rent to the Adivasis for occupying their land. It's not as ridiculous as it sounds. We, Indians have been paying tax to the occupiers for a long time, just not the Adivasis. We paid taxes to the Rajas and the Maharajas, to the Nawabs and the Chhatrapatis, to the Sultans and the Peshwas. We are used to propping up royalty with our labor and bowing before them. What justifies forcibly paying a portion of the income to a state? Clearly, my family must have thought that they have better prospects in Maharashtra. Maybe we were escaping the plunder caused by foreigners in Gujarat and accepted the terms of staying in Maharashtra. I  have emigrated to the US for similar reasons - better prospects. Freedom is perhaps the ability to pick whom to pay taxes. Had the people of Arunachal Pradesh been a part of China, their per capita income would have been $17,200 per annum instead of $2,453, in terms of purchasing power parity. Of course one can't put a price on escaping the Cultural Revolution, but it does make me pause for thought that an accident of geography would have changed the lives of so many people depending on which side of an imaginary line they landed upon.
3. One aspect of freedom is the ability to travel worldwide. With an American passport, I can travel to Europe, Japan, Australia, Korea, Canada, etc. without a visa. I am the same person I was - brown skin, Indian looks, but the paper I carry lets me travel freely. If I were in India, I would have to get a travel visa by first proving that I have a strong reason to return to India. Why would a foreign country want proof that Indians want to return home before granting a visa? The answer is the stark difference in the quality of life and the emigration statistics. A vast majority of Indians prefer the higher quality of life - good schools, roads, affordable houses, cars, ability to practice religion freely, etc. available in developed countries. Unless we are educated, developed countries feel like we would not contribute to their national advancement and that makes it harder to get a visa. Unless the Indian passport works without a visa, Indians should not believe any rhetoric from the Indian leadership about the worldwide respect for the Tiranga, and that India sets an example to the world, as sometimes claimed by flag waving Indians.

Neither Ambedkar, whom I greatly admire, nor the American founding fathers had the perfect vision for a just future. The constitution, laws, rules must be relegated to their appropriate position - subordinate to the welfare of people. True freedom is still far away.

Kuntal.