71st INDEPENDENCE DAY – JOURNEY FROM FREEDOM TO AMERICAN GULAG
To celebrate India’s 71st Independence Day on August 15 as “SANKALP DIVAS” or “RESOLUTION DAY,” I resolve to share experience of my Life’s Journey from Freedom to ‘American Gulag’.
‘GULAG‘, Russian acronym for Glavnoe Upravleniye ispravitel’no-trudovykh LAGerei, stands for Chief Administration of Corrective Labor Camps and Colonies of the Soviet Secret Police. Gulag means a Prison or Forced Labor Camp especially for political prisoners as in the Soviet Union. Gulag represents any place or situation that generates experience of Incarceration, Forced Labor under State Patronage. The System of Soviet Repression involves, 1. Arrest, 2. Interrogation, 3. Incarceration, 4. Transportation, 5. Forced Labor, 6. Break-up of the Family, 7. Exile, and 8. Death. Gulag stands as a vivid symbol of Slavery, Servitude, Serfdom, Involuntary Labor sponsored by State to coerce citizens to change behavioral attitudes that are not consistent with State’s Monopoly of Power.
It may be true to claim that Communism represents Dictatorship of Proletariat or the Working Class. Communism preaches a doctrine that lays emphasis on the requirements of the State rather than on Individual Freedoms or Personal Liberties.
To perform my Life’s Journey, I arrived in Mylapore, Madras, Chennai breathing fresh air of Independent India. United States Information Service or USIS of the US Consulate in Madras preached the virtues of Freedom and Democracy to counter the spread of Communism in Asia.
On Tuesday, August 15, 2017, I am in a situation that does not let me experience the fruits of Freedom and Democracy of ‘Free World’. I ask my readers to contemplate on the realities of ‘American Gulag’, Slavery, Forced Labor practiced by the US to abridge Individual Rights, Individual Freedoms, and Personal Liberties. In fact, the United States institutionalized practice of Slavery, Serfdom, Involuntary Servitude, and Forced Labor.
Rudranarasimham Rebbapragada
INDIA INDEPENDENCE DAY 2017: TOP QUOTES, PHOTOS FROM PM NARENDRA MODI’S SPEECH
BY GAYATHRI ANURADHA ON 8/15/2017
Clipped from: http://www.ibtimes.com/india-independence-day-2017-top-quotes-photos-pm-narendra-modis-speech-2578626
India celebrated its 71st Independence Day on Tuesday with Prime Minister Narendra Modi keeping up with the tradition of addressing nation from the historic Red Fort in New Delhi. India won freedom from the British rule on this date in 1947 after a prolonged struggle by the people of the nation.
On July 30, Modi asked citizens of the country to send him a list of subjects they felt he should address in his speech on the Narendra Modi app, an application that provides updates on the activities of the prime minister. Some of the popular suggestions included the quality of education, Clean India (a campaign by the Modi government to clean the streets, roads, and infrastructure of the country’s cities and towns) and digitization as a tool to end corruption.
In another tweet, he shared a video saying he received complaints regarding his speeches with many saying they were too long. He promised to keep it short and this time he delivered a short speech for the first time in four years. This year Modi’s Independence Day speech was 56 minutes long, said reports.
Modi’s tweet also read: “When I address nation from the ramparts of the Red Fort on 15th August, I am merely the medium. The voice is of 125 crore Indians.”
Here are some quotes from Modi’s address to the nation:
- We remember the great women and men who worked hard for India’s freedom.
- We have to take the country ahead with determination of creating a ‘New India.’
- In our nation, there is no one big or small…everybody is equal. Together we can bring a positive change in the nation.
- This is a special year – the 75th anniversary of Quit India, 100th anniversary of Champaran Satyagraha, the 125th anniversary of Ganesh Utsav.
- Good governance is about speed and simplification of processes.
- India’s stature in the world is rising. The world is with us in fighting the menace of terror. I thank all nations helping us doing so.
- We are nurturing our youngsters to be job creators and not job seekers.
- I want to mention those women who have to suffer due to ‘Tripe Talaq’- I admire their courage. We are with them in their struggles.
- Violence in the name of astha (faith) is not something to be happy about, it will not be accepted in India.
- India is about shanti (peace), ekta (unity) and sadbhavana (goodwill). Casteism and communalism will not help us.
- We have to work for the progress of Jammu and Kashmir. Neither with foul language and abuses nor with the bullet — Kashmir’s problems can only be solved by embracing Kashmiris.
- There is no question of being soft on terrorism or terrorists.
- 1st January 2018 will not be an ordinary day; those born in this century will start turning 18. They are Bhagya Vidhatas (Creators of destiny) of our nation.
On Sunday, in his address on the radio show “Man Ki Baat”, Modi urged every Indian to celebrate Aug. 15 as “Sankalp Divas” (Resolution Day) and take an oath to do something for the society, the family, or for the government.
