Composed by Aahana Garg, a grade 9 student – winner of the Independence Day Poetry Contest

Our land

On me stand the mighty Himalayas
and the picturesque, tangled rivers.
The scorching Thar in the west
and the majestic ocean in the south.
Living amongst this beauty
my people were slaves of the Crown.
They struggled, they fought, they bled
And valiantly achieved freedom.

Since my glorious independence,
I have seen so much.
I know so much.
The people who walk upon me,
The people who define me,
Have progressed and worked hard.

However,
My heart bleeds
for every drop of blood that falls
upon my fragile body
from the veins of the young girl child,
who was not given a chance to see the dawn of day.
Humiliated women live silently;
whose tears can fill my rivers.
Corruption and racism still rampant
Hunger and poverty on every street.

Still, people are proud of me
But should anybody be proud of the atrocities?
That take place in every city.
Every street,
And every house?

However, I remain optimistic.
My children will mend their ways.
Their conscience will guide them on the right path
And the light of goodwill and true freedom
shall shine upon us again.

I am the symbol of diversity.
I am the embodiment of peace and justice
Of liberty and fraternity.
I stand wounded, yet proud.

I am India.