Sixty-seven years have passed by as we breathe free, unshackled and unbound. The face of India would not have been the same without the sacrifices that our countrymen made so we could see a dawn unblemished by the shadow of oppression. A tribute to those souls that burned to light our future and bled to make our nation a better place to live…

As the birds chirped to the rise of a new sun, a new morning, a new day, the young souls out here rose to the realization of what they had been enjoying every moment of their life since birth- the sense of freedom. It was a day of celebration and remembering great men, and yet again taking inspiration from their lives, a day of thanksgiving. Independence day has always been an occasion of special significance in our lives since the time we used to see the flag unfurl at school and proudly sang the national anthem on top of our voices. IIFT celebrated the occasion in the best of spirit.

As the feelings of nationalism coursed through our veins, we assembled on the rooftop of our campus early in the morning and embellished the surrounding with flags and balloons. We were soon joined by the perfectly dressed troop of guards positioned in a neat formation ready for the ceremony. At 8:30 am, Dr. R.P. Sharma and Dr. Saswati Tripathi hoisted the flag to the tune of the national anthem and a strong salute from the troop of guards. With the tricolor flying high, our hearts oozing patriotism and the air around us humming the tune of the choicest of songs, the events of the day were set in motion with lighting of the lamp followed by Dr. Sharma addressing the batches with his iconic speech. Our Programme Director, Dr. Saswati Tripathi also paid homage to the brave Indians who laid down their lives for us. Kumar Mayank, a student at IIFT stoked the fire of patriotism with his passionate speech and Pranjal Parihar notched it up with his poetry.

Any event is incomplete until little children grace it with their presence. We were lucky enough to have in our midst children from Tomorrow's Foundation, an NGO that takes care of the education of less fortunate children. They presented a colourful and heart-warming performance and were felicitated by IIFT.

A skit, “Chaar line ka CV”, personalized the celebration and brought a smile to the faces of the hard-working IIFT-ians in the room. The audience was next infused with a fresh shot of energy by a dance sequence presented by the “Emotionless Managers”. This was soon followed by heartfelt tributes to the freedom fighters in the form of group songs that also sprouted in our hearts the eagerness to serve our nation. A shot of entertainment was the dance presented by a band of guys who went ahead and showcased their talent in a well-synced and amazing act.

The celebration would have been incomplete without a few invigorating verses that could incite the flare of love for the nation in the most inanimate fashion. The shayaris of Saurabh Vyas and the poem presented by Ashish Saurav, the gifted orators of IIFT, echoed through the hall as we sat spellbound. Adding to the charged atmosphere was the straight-from-the-heart speech by Ankit Kumar, which commanded a standing ovation from the audience.

We are all happy today with having entered the 68^th year of independence but are we really free while the fissures in the society on the lines of caste, creed, language and religion continue to exist? Is this the country in which we want our country to awake? A skit presented by the juniors of IIFT addressed the glaring issue of communal violence that continues to fester in the modern where we claim to live a life of liberty, fraternity and equality.

The celebrations came to an end with a parting speech from faculty members. This was the first event that the MBA 2014-16 batch organized and it was exhilarating to see the events of the day unwrap so perfectly and touch our hearts so deeply.

In the hullabaloo of our everyday life and the chaos of a city so vibrant we often forget to extend our gratitude to those that made it possible for us to see this day. We also keep forgetting that it is not just them who had a responsibility towards the nation. It is us on whom the country counts on. Wouldn’t it be great if we give back to India everyday in our own small way? Wouldn’t it be beautiful to feel this proud every day for being a part of our nation? How about we keep the spirit up all year long!

With a heart full of love for India…

JAI HIND!

Credits: Ipsita Gochhayat