Speech on Independence Day

Good morning, respected Principal, teachers and my dear friends. Today we celebrate Independence Day. On 15 August 1947, India became a free country after a long struggle. We remember the brave men and women who gave their comfort, their youth and even their lives for that freedom. Freedom is not only a gift. It is also a duty. Our duty is to study well, to be honest, to keep our country clean and to treat everyone as equal. Let us promise today to be good citizens. Jai Hind!

Good morning, respected Principal, respected teachers and my dear friends. I feel proud to stand before you on this special morning, as our tricolour flies above us.

Today we celebrate Independence Day. On 15 August 1947, after nearly two hundred years of foreign rule, India became a free nation. That freedom did not arrive on its own. It was won by lakhs of ordinary people: farmers, students, teachers, lawyers and mothers, who marched, went to jail and gave up everything they had. Many of them never saw the free India they dreamt of. We are living their dream.

So what does freedom mean for us, sitting in a school today? I think it means three things. First, the freedom to learn. Every child in this ground has a book in the bag and a teacher in the classroom. Our great-grandparents did not all have that. Second, the freedom to speak and to choose: to ask questions, to hold our own opinion and, one day, to vote. Third, the freedom to dream of becoming anything we wish, whatever our family's income, language or religion.

But freedom comes with duties. A free country stays strong only when its citizens are responsible. For us, that duty is simple and daily. It is to study sincerely, to speak the truth, to respect our elders and our classmates, to save water and electricity, and to keep our classroom, our street and our city clean. A person who throws a wrapper on the road and then sings the national anthem loudly has understood only half of patriotism.

Friends, the soldiers guard our borders, and the farmers fill our plates. Our turn will come soon. Let us prepare for it now, in these classrooms. Let each of us decide on one small thing that we will do for the country this year, and then do it.

With these words, I salute the flag and all who kept it flying. Thank you. Jai Hind!

आदरणीय प्रधानाचार्य जी, शिक्षकगण और मेरे प्यारे साथियो, सुप्रभात। आज हम स्वतंत्रता दिवस मना रहे हैं। 15 अगस्त 1947 को लंबे संघर्ष के बाद हमारा देश आज़ाद हुआ। हम उन वीरों को नमन करते हैं जिन्होंने इस आज़ादी के लिए अपना सब कुछ दे दिया। आज़ादी केवल अधिकार नहीं, ज़िम्मेदारी भी है। मन लगाकर पढ़ना, सच बोलना, देश को साफ़ रखना और सबको बराबर समझना ही हमारी सच्ची देशभक्ति है। आइए, आज अच्छे नागरिक बनने का संकल्प लें। जय हिंद!