OST middle-aged persons would have fond childhood memories of rising early on the morning of august 15 and heading straight to the rooftop armed with kitesand manjha(string harnessed to keep it afloat)and spending a good part of the morning with their guddas that majestically rose to the skies .Even now the azure skies turn into a rainbow of colours as many people in north India celebrate independence day with the same gusto which thay reserve for other popular festivals .kite flying -­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­– associate with freedom and soaring of the spirit ­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­__ is still a favourite activity which cuts across people of all ages and social strata.

As the day progresses ,kites  begin doting the skyline of most of the villages, towns and

Cities of states like  new Delhi, Haryana , Punjab ,Himachal and Uttar-Pradesh. Teams of

Enthusiasts come out with their patangs,manjha and chakris .(wooden contraption around which the string is wound).There are plenty of friendly compitions all around and as soon as group of fliers bring down an opponent’s kite’ they jump with child-like glee.

 

MEMORY LANE  

The couple of decades following India’s independence were innocent times when august 15 was associated with pomp and festivities. The prime minister addressed the nation from the ramparts of the red fort where the atmosphere was electric. No security checks, no black cat commandos and no strict-seating arrangement. You could stroll around and find your own spot, open the food packet and watch the proceedings between bites of aloo-parantha and a steaming cup of tea from a flask.

In those heady days patriotism pervaded the air. people hoisted the tri-colour on top of Their houses. vendors on bicycles and push in many sizes.families,with chidren in tow went out in their best attire to take in the atmosphere .Being a national holiday ,the festivities were all-pervasive marked by playing  of  patriotic songs on the radio and even on loudspeakers and remembering the great martyrs of the country who laid their lives for freedom.

Times have changed. And how! For one, on the independence day, the red fort is out of bounds for most people unless you happen to be a VIP ,which could mean a minister or a civil servant or senior defence officer or a diplomat ­__many of whom come as part of their duty to attend the ceremony .

But in this modern era, technology has stepped in to fulfil the desires of ordinary mortals ,most of whom prefer to watch the celebrations from the comfort of their homes. The flickering images on the telly bring alive the festivities that mark the day when India become an independent nation in 1947.

PASSIONATE TRADITION

But apart from officialdom ,the independence day over the years has come to be associated with many other fun things . kite flying ,though a diminishing pastime in big cities ,is still a passionate tradition in towns and villages, especially in north .the patriotic songs of the 1950s and 1960s decades are dusted  out and still played with a surge of  jingoistic enthusiasm .

A fact not known to many is that a number of old –time still throng to temples to offer prayers and thank the almighty for granting India its independence .these are generally the people who have seen the pulsating period  when lord mount –batten handed over the charges of India ton C.Rajagopalachari ,who became the first Indian governor-general and pandit Jawaharlal Nehru the first prime minister.

In these days in cities ,flags still flutter atop many homes and at most traffic crossings children hawk the tricolour that is now designed to be hoisted on the dashboards of cars and bikes .balloons and stickers bearing the three national colures ,too ,do brisk business.

BUZZ OF SOCIAL MEDIA

Keeping up with the modern times, social media sites like face book and twitter have people sending out greetings to each other. schools and collages  organize contests and

Programmes related to independence day. Television channels show patriotic movies and advertisements of popular brands take on the colours of India.

In the evening .parks and public gardens come  alive with an air of festivity as picnickers come to celebrate the day when India finally broke away from the shackles of years of the colonial rule .

As with every festive occasions ,there is special focus on food during the festival. Many

Restaurants and sweet shops have special offerings for the day with each dish representing the colours of the Indian flag_saffron,white and dark green .Tricolour  barfi,tiranga poori and azadi halwa are some of the ethnic fare that can be seen in many eateries. Many fine-dining restaurants and hotels offer special ‘freedom’ brunches with an emphasis on various regional cuisines of India .

Indeed, the spirit of festivity is very much prevalent on independence day, which comes after the severe summer months that  usually keep people indoors. So, the monsoon-laden cool air is very welcome as it heralds the festival is that it overrides all caste considerations and is celebrate like by all communities.