They say we live in an independent India, a
free country where everyone has equal rights,
dignity and protection. But what kind of
independence is this, where a girl still has to
look over her shoulder every time she walks
down a street, enters her college or simply
exists in public? What kind of freedom is this,
where women are still judged, blamed and
silenced while the monsters walk free in
broad daylight? When girls are not safe in
schools, colleges or even their own homes,
how can we celebrate freedom? When our
voices are questioned, when our pain is
ignored, when justice comes only after
outrage and not as a basic right, it becomes
painfully clear that our independence is
incomplete. Girls in this country are taught to
be careful instead of being carefree, to stay
silent instead of fighting back, to dress
"modestly" instead of living boldly. We carry
our trauma quietly and our fear constantly-
this isn't what independence was meant to
feel like. True freedom is not just about
raising a flag or singing a national anthem; it
about walking without fear, dreaming
without limits and living without constantly
preparing for danger. Until India becomes a
place where its daughters feel safe,
respected, and free to exist without fear, we
are still not truly independent. And no
celebration, no slogan, no speech can change
that reality.
