CALLED TO BE FREE

- Meboreen Mary Thongni

With great pride we happily say:
“Happy Independence Day”
Celebrating the joy of freedom from the British,
Recollecting the aspirations and dreams of our freedom fighters;
Yet our hearts and minds are wondering,
What exactly is Independence?

Deeper and deeper as I move along,
I find myself being dependent and tied up with new bonds;
We all are forced to do and act;
In reality we all are ignoring the fact.
We are blind to what is happening around us;
The spark of awareness is missing from inside us.

Let us open our eyes to many varieties,
Problems arising day by day in our country;
Prices of food and medicine have soared beyond the reach,
People go through life without satisfying their needs;
Educated men striving for employment,
While the uneducated are dying of starvation.

Let us unite together and build a better world,
Let us make the purpose of life to be a life of purpose;
Initiatives to be taken by one and all,
To understand and become truly independent;
We all are called to be free,
Then we can stand up and freely say:
“Happy Independence Day”