Today, there are many complex issues that impact on modern man Prof.Amartya Sen, the Nobel Prize winner for economics, a friend from my Santiniketan days had explored the theme of human freedom in many of his books. Sen, in my opinion, had taken our knowledge of human freedoms to new heights. There are also the positive and negative freedoms as expounded by the late Isiah Berlin. These are critical issues for our life today, for our democratic society.
When I position myself in Sen’s ideal of the limits of human freedom, we Indians, Indian society seem to be centuries behind times! Even in the Western societies where freedom is highly valued, there is much denial of freedoms! So, my verses seek to unravel the many hurdles to man’s freedom in the light of my knowledge of things.
Indian society is still much oppressive, rigid and resistant to innovations and new writing styles. Only when you become sensitive to what you are worth, any denial or restriction of what you legitimately feel you deserve, then you become fully agitated about your freedoms!
This is my definition of freedom!
Of all the freedoms, it is the political freedom that is the most critical and sensitive freedoms to man’s self esteem and worth. Our talk of freedoms, individual freedoms, human rights, so far had been from the Western points of view of what freedoms is about.
Today, India is the largest democracy and India can offer a new definition of freedom, given our achievements in many fields. The West, USA, UK and their admirers have become jealous of India’s emerging leadership roles in many areas of human excellence: our philosophy, non-violence, religion, modern education, our mastery of the many technologies, IT being the latest news. Much more, I would say, is India’s responsible behavior in international affairs!
I want our poets and writers to bring out this new face of India, as a vibrant power, a vibrant responsible society, so our individual responsible behavior!