I hate writing about politics. Till it affects our daily lives.

When in 1941 FDR, the then President of USA said freedom means freedom of speech, freedom of worship, freedom from want and freedom from fear, I thought it was a good workable definition.

Today when I was reading Obama’s book and he quoted FDR, I started wondering how many of the countries that we know are really free. Forget Warren Buffet, forget Bill Gates, forget George Bush. How many of us can say we are in a free world? Or when Rabindranath Tagore said “Where my head is held high and mind without fear….

Is India a free country? Do not ask a few of us upper caste male living a cocooned life – the lifestyle that we lead in this country is less than a statistical error. Ask the SIMI activists, ask the people near Asaram Bapu’s ashram whose land has been taken away, ask the parents of children who have died at the ashram, ask Shahid Badr Falahi, ask M Hasan in Jaisalmer, ask Moutasim Billah, ask Yasin Patel, ask Jawahar Raja, ask Mobin Akhtar, ask Judge Geeta Mittal, ask Richard Crasta, ask Dr. Binayak sen.

In case you do not know who these people are read Tehelka. Vol.5, Issue 32, dated 16th August 2008

Financial freedom? you got to be joking. These people’s basic freedom to open their mouth rests with the state. Long live Freedom? Independence day, is 15th August, just a reminder
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