independence day.

Goggle Image.

Your post this week should start with, ‘At the stroke of midnight…’

At the stroke of midnight, reporter Ankita with camera-man Neel and the members a T.V. news channel get ready to leave the studios for sound bytes. 

Anita facing the camera and Neel behind it, starts recording.

"India celebrates its 66th independence day. A day of the tri-colour flag being unfurled and proudly fluttering  in the free and open sky. Every Indian's chest puffs with pride with their national flag flying and the anthem being played. Patriotic songs are sung full-throttle in every school and maidans.(playground). This is  reporter Ankita with camera-man Neel for 24hrs News Channel."

time  : 1 a.m.
place : C.S.T. (Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus, Mumbai)
            Station.

Ankita : What are the arrangements made by your department?

A policemen : Bandhobast kadak hai. Ek parinda bhi par nahi maar sakti hai. (smiles) {The security is tight}
                     
                                 ---------------  

time  : 3 a.m.
place : outside a bar restaurant.

Ankita : what does freedom mean to you?

A  shady character supposed to be a henchman to an underworld don : Freedom bolega toh no police . (the long arm of the law should not interfere with our nefarious activities)


                                                   --------------------------


time : 8 a.m.
place : Gandhi maidan 

School children coming out carrying plastic tri-colour flags .

Ankita : children ,  tell us what does the 66th Independence mean to you?

Child 1 : India got its freedom in 1947 from the British.
Child 2 : Gandhiji , Pt.Nehru , Lala Lajpatrai ..
Child 3  : Tilak, Dadabhai Navroji fought for India's freedom.
Child 4 : We had essay writing competition on 'Our Freedom Struggle'

                                                           -----------------------------

time : 9 a.m.
place : Geeta Bhawan , Udipi Hotel.
An elderly couple eating masala dosa and vada sambhar.
Ankita : Sir , Do you feel India had achieved what it should have achieved in the last 66 years ?
Before the elderly man could answer his wife interrupted , 
'In the pre-independence days, onions, were not so expensive or hoarded by black marketeers. See there is no onion in the sambhar. This is a crying shame that the Govt. has to intervene and regulate vegetables through Fair price shops in Mumbai.'

The onion was not chopped but tears were already flowing, thought Ankita.

                                ------------------
   
time  : 9.45 a.m.
place : At the signal , a family of four, were selling the tri-coloured flags.
The lady and the two boys were shy and were not ready to face the camera. The man said, 'Dhanda bahut acchha hai'. (they earned enough money by selling flags.) and he added that they could eat well for a week and that the flag-hoisting day should be celebrated every month.

Ankita rolled her eyes and  cameraman Neel had a hearty laugh.

                              ---------------------

time  : 10.30 a.m.
place  : At the entrance of a reputed book-store in a mall.

A teen-aged boy wearing branded garments and footwear entering a book-store.

Ankita : Your Independence day plans?

Boy : I will be buying some books about our freedom struggle and independence. There is no better day than today. Maybe I will get some discount.
Ankita : So you are brushing up your history and  India's glorious past.
Boy : Yes. I have to. I am planning to go abroad to study. I will be in the company of students from other countries and different cultures. It will be a shame if I do not know something about our country.
Ankita : All the best for your study abroad.
Boy  shows a thumbs up sign and says 'Yo' and walks off.


Ankita , a bit shocked, thought that if Gandhiji would have heard this , he would have said  'Hey Ram' .

                               -------------------

time : 11 a.m.
Place  : at the exit entrance of a multiplex theatre.
As the crowd of moviegoers spill out, a group of college-going students spot the T.V. crew and approach them. Ankita readies herself .
Student 1 : the movie was good.
Student 2 : no, it was suuuuperb! Full paise vasool.
Student 3 : Deepika looks beautiful . Enna Meenaamma.
And they all start laughing.
Ankita : Tell me about Independence day.........
The students start laughing and rush to the food court.

                       ----------------------- 

time  : 12.30 p.m.
place : At a blood donation camp.
They spot a nonagenarian freedom fighter in the camp and approach him.

Ankita : Sir , you had been closely associated with the freedom struggle of India. Do you see any  progress being made after six and half decades?
F.F. :  (Smiles) Our esteemed politicians are of the opinion that a common man can have a full meal in Rs 12. Then when will the hunger of the corrupt people be satiated? Jai Hind.

Ankita and Neel look at each other. They pack up and leave for the studio.

  This post is a part of Write Over the Weekend, an initiative for Indian Bloggers by BlogAdda