Dikshita Karopady

   Every independent nation — exceptions are very rare — paid the price for independence by blood.  Millions of peoples with self-respect and dignity were dragged through public humiliation, brutality and killing by the Israeli army in the pretence of making a powerful statement of their military prowess. Something you often hear is that "both sides" are to blame for perpetuating the conflict, and there's plenty of truth to that. There has always been and remains plenty of guilt to go around, plenty of individuals and groups on both sides that squandered peace and perpetuated conflict many times over. Still, perhaps the most essential truth of the Israel-Palestine conflict today is that the conflict predominantly matters for the human suffering it causes. The loss of life in Gaza is tormenting. While Israel is targeting areas of dense population in Gaza, Palestinian civilians are facing the brunt of it.

         I was appalled by the military onslaught on civilians in Gaza under the guise of punishing terrorists. This is the third large scale military assault on Gaza since 2008.  Each time the death toll is borne mainly by innocent people in Gaza, especially women and children. This action also terrifies those who are not directly hit, and wounds the soul, mind, and resilience of the young generation. In Gaza, people suffer from hunger, thirst, pollution, shortage of medicines, electricity, and any means to get an income, not only by being bombed and shelled. Power crisis, gasoline shortage, water and food scarcity, sewage outflow and ever decreasing resources are disasters caused directly and indirectly by the siege. We Indian’s are fortunate to not have faced such severe situations in our history but it gives me Goosebumps when I wonder what people in Gaza and Israel are going through. War is a difficult situation and it’s even scarier when you don’t know what outcome it will bring. But there’s always hope. Hope that one day such issues will come to a logical conclusion and it will bring peace. Humans live on the philosophy of hope.

      Coming to what independence means to me, we as a society are far removed from the spirit of Independence Day. More than 60 years after the event for which we commemorate, our freedoms are so basic, so innate, that they have become taken for granted and virtually imperceptible. I don't often think about how independent we are, and it is precisely for that reason why we are ultimately free. For me personally, Independence Day was spent with family, enjoying a respite from the workload of assignments that have been given to us. (I spent my entire day sleeping away to glory)  Having never been on the receiving end of religious persecution (never personally felt it) oppressive government or censorship, I feel blessed to be able to enjoy life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness when so many in the world dream of that reality.

I sincerely pray that the situation in Gaza and Israel comes to a logical and amicable conclusion.

https://twitter.com/bombai_ki_chori   - This is my twitter handle. If there's anything I can do from my side to help the situation there, or to send a message to the people of our country, you can connect with me on twitter and Il do whatever I can to help the people of Israel and Gaza.