Even after Independence, we have had to face the poison of

“Even after Independence, we have had to face the poison of casteism and communalism. How long these evils will continue? Whom does it benefit?” Thus spoke Narendra Modi, a voice from the land of sages and warriors, lamenting that though the chains of foreign rule had been shattered, the chains within the human heart still held firm. His words are not of condemnation alone, but of awakening — a call to remember that freedom of the body means little without freedom of the spirit, and that a divided people, though sovereign in name, remain slaves to their own darkness.

When India gained her Independence in 1947, her people rejoiced as one — Hindus, Muslims, Sikhs, Christians, all dreaming of a dawn where the soul of a nation could rise unhindered. Yet soon, the same soil that had drunk the blood of patriots would drink again — this time, not from the swords of invaders, but from the hatred of brothers. The poison of casteism and communalism, once seeded by centuries of power and prejudice, refused to die. It crept into villages and cities, temples and mosques, minds and hearts — dividing what was born to be one.

The ancients knew that unity was not mere proximity, but harmony. The Rig Veda proclaimed, “Let us walk together, let us speak together, let our minds be united.” Yet the wisdom of the ancestors was drowned beneath the noise of division. Caste and creed — meant once to describe diversity of duty and devotion — hardened into walls of superiority and shame. Men forgot that the divine spark dwells in all, and so the children of the same motherland turned upon each other. Communalism, that old serpent, found nourishment in the bitterness of the past, whispering lies of separation where truth had once sown brotherhood.

In every age, this tragedy repeats. Consider the story of Bhagat Singh, a man who fought for freedom not only from colonial rule but from the smallness of human hearts. He rejected the chains of religion and caste, calling himself neither Hindu nor Muslim, but Indian — a servant of liberty and justice for all. When the British sought to break him, he stood firm, proclaiming that true revolution must begin within. He knew that political freedom without unity was a hollow victory. His courage reminds us that the battle for the soul of a nation does not end with the fall of empires — it continues in the choices of its children every day.

Modi’s question — “Whom does it benefit?” — pierces like an arrow through the veil of hypocrisy. Who gains from this poison? Not the poor, whose suffering multiplies when society is fractured. Not the youth, whose dreams wither in the heat of prejudice. Only those who feed on division — the merchants of hatred, the architects of fear — profit when brother turns against brother. It is they who drink from the venom they spread, even as they poison the well of national unity. The wise see this pattern and grieve, for every nation that forgets its shared humanity sows the seeds of its own decay.

Yet there is still hope — for the human heart, though easily deceived, is also easily awakened. The antidote to casteism and communalism is not silence, but compassion; not revenge, but understanding. When one man reaches across the line drawn by prejudice and calls another “brother,” he heals more wounds than armies could inflict. When one community refuses to hate, a wall crumbles. And when a nation remembers that her strength lies not in sameness, but in unity, she becomes unbreakable.

So let this be the lesson, passed to the generations yet unborn: Independence is not an event; it is a practice. It must be defended not only on borders, but within souls. Break every chain that divides — of caste, of creed, of pride — and replace them with bonds of respect. Teach your children to see the divine in every face, and to speak the language of kindness even in disagreement. For as long as casteism and communalism endure, no flag can wave in true freedom.

And remember this: the enemies of unity thrive on your silence. Speak, therefore, not in anger but in truth. Live as though the freedom you celebrate each year must be earned anew — not from conquerors, but from the evils that linger within. Only then shall the promise of Independence be fulfilled — when every heart in the nation beats as one, free not only in law, but in love.