By Shaikh Tabinda || DeccanDigest

It’s been 75 years since we declared our independence! However, we have not yet really experienced freedom despite having had it for the past seven decades. We won independence from the British by shedding our blood and tears, but whether or not we will ever be accepted as full citizens of this country is still up for debate.

Independence Day has always been a special occasion for us since childhood, one that has always left our hearts feeling happy and proud of our nation. It is a day to remember the selflessness of a very large number of people who have served to free this country. With hosting flags high and patriotic songs being sung, we have always celebrated this day with tremendous pride. But as a Muslim who has grown up with this, it appears that our comfortable little world has suddenly collapsed around us. It breaks my heart to confront a question that challenges our allegiance to the country of our birth and upbringing. The question focuses on our sense of patriotism. We have continually discovered that for us our freedom is restricted in many ways. our patriotism is a question in our country of birth.

The Majority of this country every now and then, questions the Muslims to prove our patriotism and loyalty to this country. The question of what it means to be a patriot always plagues my mind. Frankly, I’m not sure what it truly means to be. For me, India is much more than a border or a map. India is defined by the people who dwell within its border. The people that live in India is what makes it Unique. The collective consciousness of the people who call this place home is represented through its culture and heritage. one’s patriotism is demonstrated by showing compassion for the people that inhabit the country. It also exhibits your patriotism when you love and care about the people when you make them feel safe and protected in thier homeland.

But as we grew older, reality began to intrude and burst all of our bubbles. The harsh and aching truth of the situation finally dawned on us. We are striving for nothing more than to just exist and fighting for the right to stay alive.

We Muslims- the minority in this country have always been subjected to “otherization” for a long time or since the country was partitioned. we were made to believe that we are second-class citizens of the country of our birth. There has always been an outpouring of patriotism overnight. The majority displays their patriotism through patriotic songs and status every 15 Aug and 26 Jan regardless of whether or not their fellow citizens are struggling for mere survival.

Everything is a source of contention for the majority of people in this country, from the Hijab to the Namaz to the Azaan. It has become the accepted practice in this country to lynch us in the name of some cow suspect. The majority of people in our country experience a sense of elation in response to our collective grief.

For the duration of the struggle for independence, we fought for the very idea of India, as well as its very essence. Followers of Gandhi, Azad and Ambedkar, as well as those on the political left, believed that a free India should be a place where anyone could practice their religion without fear of persecution. The republic was founded on the principles of equality and fraternity. Partition, however, led to political and social divisions that could not be reconciled with the idea of Muslim citizens as equals. Today’s social divisions, prejudice, and anxiety have their roots in this very issue.

A question my subconscious self questioned me on. what exactly does it mean to be a patriotic citizen? how should we wear the emblem of our patriotic pride on our sleeves so that we are accepted? What can we do to demonstrate that this country belongs to us just as much as it does to you?