It is so ironic to talk about freedom today. In India freedom means being able to exercise our fundamental rights without watching our backs. But there are so many communities which live in fear. That to me is not freedom.
We are technically a democracy but if the state is not accountable and does the opposite, that’s not freedom. It’s not that they have removed freedom from the Constitution but they have created such an environment where it is difficult to exercise freedom.
To me freedom means to be able to lead my life the way I want to and to be able to transform my life to one that is more congenial to my development and my aspirations. But while doing that, every individual should have the same enabling environment.
I was born just after Independence into an environment of freedom, where equality as well as equity were the core principles. There was no discrimination on gender, caste or religion. It was the reality then.
In the last few years we find an erosion of that reality. The environment has been so re-engineered that the basic core principles of equity, freedom and non discrimination don’t exist.
Nandana Reddy
Bengaluru-based social, political and civil liberties activist