By: Heisnam Lakeshwar Singh
Head (Academic & Admin), JCRE Global College, Babupara, Imphal.
Freedom fighters are respected by our society. The stories of freedom fighters we have studied and heard are interesting and inspiring. In every freedom fighter stories the fight or movement was always against the ruler or the suppressor or the government. These stories are interesting and easy to understand because it is easy to identify the villain. In India’s freedom struggle movement, the villain was British, in South Africa’s freedom movement; the villain was the white government.
But today I want to narrate a freedom struggle story which is not easy to understand. It is not easy to understand because understanding the villain in this story is complex. And also I am trying to see it from a different perspective.
When we see a homeless man in the footpath of some cities, what do we feel? We feel sympathy on him and a desire arise in our heart to help him/her. But how many of us follow our heart? We just pass the road ignoring the truth.
We see injustice happening around us. We see corrupt police personal, corrupt government employees, corrupt politicians and corrupt public. When we see wrong things doing in front of our eyes, we all want to stand against those, we want to stop those and we want innocent people to get justice. But how many of us do that? We just avoid the troubles and move on.
Sometime we heard and read in news, in a crowded place a guy/girl was beaten by a gang of goons and hundreds of spectators were watching that helplessly. Recently in Delhi, a guy from Arunachal Pradesh was beaten to death in a crowded place, in front of hundreds of spectators. Nobody came to stop that. A girl was molested in the most crowded area of Guwahati. What happened to those hundreds of innocent spectators, why didn’t they come to stop such crimes? They are also the people who feel good when the villain in a movie is finally defeated by the hero.
We see in Manipur thousands of youths are not getting proper education because they cannot move outside the state for pursuing their career. We know, if there are good institutions in Manipur these youths will be able to build a better career. But how many of us could establish such institution in our state?
We know hundreds of families are suffering because of poor healthcare facility. We know good hospitals are needed for providing good healthcare service. But how many of us actually can establish such facility for people?
We know there are many bad politicians. They are only after money and they don’t think of improving the life of people. But how many of us know how to fight and defeat them in politics?
We know unemployment is a big issue in Manipur. Lakhs of youth are jobless. We also want these youths, our relatives and friends to have a good job. But how many of us are really working on solving this issue?
We are living in an independent country, which gives us fundamental rights, which implies we are free people. But the question is, are we seriously free? When we want to help a homeless man, are we free enough to do what we want to do? When we want to fight against the injustice, are we free to fight? When we see our relatives and dear ones are starving for good education, can we provide that even when we want those things so desperately? Getting freedom and living free life is not easy. But who is suppressing us? Who stops us from doing the things we want to do?
Freedom comes with courage. The biggest villain in this story is Fear. In order to defeat it we must have courage. When courage forms team with knowledge, wisdom and right intention, a strong freedom fighter arise as hero in this story. Hero always struggle. Struggle comes because of our inability to do the things, which are required to do, to get the freedom. Our freedom is suppressed by fear, lack of awareness & knowledge, lack of innovation and lack of appropriate skill. When we understand our suppressor, we can fight those suppressor and moves towards a free life. Only few people could achieve freedom because they fight those suppressors courageously and smartly. The fighting is not holding guns in hand and shooting other people. It is the hard work we do to achieve the goal by armoring the self with patience and persistence. We know that there are people who live free life. For example, Armstrong Pamei constructed a road which many just dreamt and wanted. He made it possible. Aribam Shyam Sharma made the first Manipuri film, it was just a dream for many at that time, he made it and other people followed him. When I listen the speech of Dr. Shantikumar, world champion in body building, I find he is a freedom fighter too. He didn’t allow his poverty to stop achieving his dream and living the life he wanted to live. There are many such people in our society who are freedom fighter and living a free life (I am not mentioning all). A freedom fighter automatically becomes a leader. Being a freedom fighter is not easy, people admire them and people follow them and that is how they become a leader.
Living free and getting freedom is different. You may not get freedom, but you have the choice to live a free life. The result is not in our hand, but how do we live is in our hand. Do you want to compromise your free life because of your laziness, fear and feeling of insecurity or do you want to live a free life? The choice is yours.
The Writer can be reached to:lakeboy07@gmail. com
