FREEDOM FIGHTERS

Rajan ran to the park with his kite as soon as he returned from the school. His grandfather and his sister Roshan also followed him. His grandfather was very old, but he loved to watch Rajan flying kites. Many of their neighbourhood friends joined them there.

They all started to fly their kites. Others were also flying kites. Rajan got thrilled by the way the kites are soaring with the wind. The kites were sometimes soaring high, and sometimes coming down. But Rajan liked flying kites. He liked the sight of so many colourful kites soaring, descending and flying in the blue sky.

There were many tricolour kites, just like the Indian national flag. Rajan remembered that every year people fly kites in July and August around our Independence Day on August 15. It was almost getting dark as they returned home. Rajan was thinking about the connection between flying kites and Independence Day.

When they reached home, Rajan asked his grandfather about that. His grandfather sat on the sofa and recollected his memories. He was a freedom fighter. He participated in Indian freedom struggle as a young man. He recollected the days when Mahatma Gandhi and other leaders stirred people across India for collective movements. He elaborated on how the leaders were able to mobilise the masses for an armless struggle against the British.

He especially remembered the unity and enthusiasm among the people. Many times they were assaulted and beaten by the police. Most of them were put in jail. It was a time of patient suffering for the freedom fighters. Many lost their lives during the struggle. Many people suffered physical torture. It was a terrible time. But the freedom fighters persisted. They wanted to get freedom from the British rule. They wanted to see their children living in an independent India. Finally their dream came true. On the midnight of August 14, 1947, India became independent. What a great occasion! And the joy and thrill the freedom fighters felt had no bounds.

Rajan’s grandfather paused for a moment. He sighed. Then he said about many unfortunate incidents of violence and massacre during the partition of India and Pakistan. But he concluded that we have a flourishing democracy now because of the sacrifices of those freedom fighters. So we have to cherish our freedom. And flying of kites during this time is a form of celebrating our freedom.

He then talked about spiritual freedom. A devout Christian, the grandfather knew very well about spiritual freedom also. He told them that like the freedom fighters sacrificed their everything for a free India, Jesus, the Son of God, sacrificed His everything to free us from the bondage of sin and death. When a person believes in the Son of God and His sacrifice on the cross, he or she can enter into that spiritual freedom. He concluded and asked them to remain in that freedom, and not to get stuck in the slavery of sin again.

And it is our duty to cherish the spiritual freedom that Jesus our Lord gave us. We should not take for granted the peace of mind and joy that we have. Jesus paid a great price for that. So when we enjoy spiritual freedom today let us remember the sacrifice our Lord Jesus has done for us. Every year our nation celebrates Independence Day on August 15. Let us thank God for our nation’s freedom during this time. Let us also thank God for the spiritual freedom that we have in Christ Jesus. God bless you!