Let's also reflect on past & future this Independence Day

What will you be doing on Independence Day? That’s the question I overheard being asked a day ago and found it rather relevant. It is the day when the Tricolour is flown from flag masts, government buildings, homes, business establishments, educational institutes, vehicles almost everywhere possible.

But, after the flag hoisting ceremony that takes place in the early morning, there is a full day ahead, a holiday where almost everything, except for a few commercial establishments, are closed.

What does one do the rest of the day? Does one merely unwind or is it a time for some reflection on the freedom struggle? Or even a time to pause and consider the future?

Well, in the era of social media, when almost everybody who has got an internet connection posts on various social media sites, Independence Day has also become, especially for the youth, an occasion to post their best selfies draped in the colours of the National Flag or standing somewhere close to it. So, quite surely, we are going to see a lot of such posts during the day.

In Goa, we prepare for Independence Day in varied ways. Apart from the morning hoisting of the flag and functions at the government level and also at educational institutions, for Catholics it is also the Feast of the Assumption.

So, many will attend mass and perhaps have a festive lunch, and in a large number of homes, the traditional patolleo will be prepared, steamed and served.

But, in Goa, the holiday is also turning into advantage to the tourism industry, that has been preparing for it quite differently. The tourism industry in Goa has geared up to welcome an extra number of guests who availing of the midweek holiday have decided to travel.

In July itself websites were already announcing the long weekend, urging people to plan their holidays and Goa was among the top sites searched online for an Independence Day weekend break.

There are reports of hotel bookings increasing, of flight fares to Goa creeping up, and even before August 15 could dawn, one could and did see a larger than usual number of tourists in Goa.

Yes, tourists have already made their way to the State and hotels, those that are open for business, this being the offseason, can expect a rise in their room occupancy for the weekend.

If hotels are offering special packages, restaurants are not far behind. Across Goa, restaurants are curating special menus for lunch on August 15, some having flown in ingredients to give their dishes the authentic taste of the region. The idea is to give their clients a taste of various cuisines that are normally not available in the State.

But, Independence Day being a day to celebrate the freedom that the country got in 1947 should also be a moment to reflect back on the freedom movement and introspect as we cannot forget the struggles and sacrifices that were made to achieve freedom from foreign rule. And that too happens, mainly through speeches after the flag hoisting.

Yet, it is also important not just to keep Independence Day as a time for looking back at what we have achieved, but also at what we have failed to do and set goals and a road map towards achieving this.

The issues in Goa are many and the challenges still more. One has to merely leaf through the newspapers to realise what is troubling Goans. On the eve of Independence Day, the government withdrew the technical clearance given by the Town and Country Planning Department for a villa project in Chandor.

Why was this clearance even given? If there is valid reason for its withdrawal then it figures that it was given for invalid reasons. For, if there is no justifiable reason for the withdrawal, the project proponent can challenge it in court. So, was there a proper study of the project not conducted before the technical clearance was awarded?

This Independence Day should give us an opportunity to vow not to rush with decisions that have to be withdrawn later. The government has to take proper, well-researched decisions that will stand the test of any possible legal challenge.

That is the least that is asked from the government, on a day when we celebrate the independence of India and also take a break for some travel time.