Freedom of an individual is a myth…

How far is it true?...that, man is born free. That, life is all about making choices…I sometimes wonder whether we actually have the choice of making our own choices. From where does the concept of ‘freedom of an individual’ comes into being?...I am not quite happy to infer, that the world that I live in falls short of that very primary requirement which makes the odyssey of life what it is believed to be. Taking the scenario that is prevalent lately, an individual doesn’t have the freedom to practice a cultural belief he finds faith in, nor does he have the right to express his/her offbeat perspective or belief on the so called cultural and social issues without making things take a contentious form. Freedom to reside in any part of the territory of India was fairly laid down in the fundamental rights section of the Indian constitution. So what? When were theory and practical congruent to each other. There are places in the same territory we talked about ,where a person born outside it, is unable to reside in it without a chunk of people apprehending his presence in their native land and compelling him, sooner or later, to make his exit. What an irony of fate? The conditions applied to the freedom of an individual is so enormous that it sometimes leads one’s very own principles and beliefs to comes in the way of exercising one’s freedom….Alas! The freedom to choose our times of festivity and celebration is also not an individual’s choice but is determined by factors like, one’s place of birth, the religion one is supposed to follow, the practices followed by one’s relatives, guardians and ancestors, etc. Freedom to form association and union, as also laid in the constitution of India, seems to be another joke. If we talk about associations and unions on professional fronts, it may still hold some ground with its price to be paid, but on personal front, it’s a downright fallacy…

Considering freedom on one’s personal perspective, don’t the supposed set of protocols of the supposed civilized society, determine things as small as, when, to laugh, to cry , to get annoyed, to order, to demand, to speak or to keep quiet ,also whom to hang out with, whom to fall in love with, whom to hate!(strange but is expected out of one at times), whom to revere ,whom to abandon, and what not…As if the so called social norms have intruded in every nook and corner of an individual’s personal space. A part of it might be of some good but if it pervades at an unchecked rate, it may turn out to be fatal, strangling the very natural flow of life!

A father, once, while giving lessons for life to his young son, rightly said, “I can’t imagine the life for you, son. But I can certainly show you the way to live in an uncertain world. Make a pact with yourself…..”. The world is ever changing and so are the rules that govern it and are best fitted for it. So, if a father finds it hard to decide what’s best for his kid, how can a group of people, claiming to be the forerunners of our country’s glorious cultural and traditional past, do so? Are we blindly entitling them the power to decide the course of our lives?

After all, was there ever a teacher, better than one’s experience? ...And experience can extinct if we bereave an individual of the freedom that is his due from life.