The Legacies Of The Ones Gone By
Author: Rehan
Legacies define human existence, often the focal point of a lifetime’s worth of choices made. Somewhere in all of us lies a buried voice that often asks us what will be left of our experiences, when inevitably one day we are no longer there to keep them alive through tales told over crackling campfires. It asks us to ponder over one question, “What about me will live on, once I am gone?” Everything that we stood for, all that we felt, everything that we did, and everything that we gave to the world — that is our legacy. And it lives on beyond us.
Legacies do not need reminding, they speak for themselves, but I want to pay homage to certain giants, upon whose shoulders we have built these castles of glass that we call our lives.
Remembrance of a Patriot
Every year, on the 30th of January and 23rd of March, India celebrates its National Martyrs Day, also called Shaheed Diwas, to remember the valiant souls whose courage, selflessness and loyalty to our nation is the backbone of our lives. It is among the 15 nations across the world that honour their fallen patriots with a dedicated Martyrs Day.
This Martyrs Day is to pay homage to Mahatma Gandhi. Nathuram Godse killed the most famous name in the history of India’s liberation movement during evening prayers at Gandhi Smriti in the Birla House and ever since, Mahatma Gandhi and his legacy is remembered on the 30th of January. He was a staunch proponent of India remaining a secular and nonviolent nation.
In a ceremony at the Mahatma Gandhi Samadhi, the President, Vice President, Prime Minister, and Defense Minister place flowers on the statue of the Father of the Nation. In his honour, the Armed Forces and Inter-Services Contingent of the country salute each other.
Without his sacrifice, our rising nation would not have achieved the heights it has to date. Without his martyrdom, a nation that lives on as a legacy would have succumbed to the powers of malevolence that surround it.
The Essence of his Spirit
Mahatma Gandhi has been an inspiration for all our soldiers and martyrs, so what is the essence of this spirit of martyrdom? Though the doctrine of selfless service may motivate martyrs to fight, what is it that they find in dying for a cause? The idea is that it is not death. The martyr does not desire death as the goal or result of his or her actions. Here lies a subtle but important difference, our martyrs do not step foot on the battlefield wishing for death, no, but rather they take that step unfazed by death. Somehow, this inspires even more awe than the former. They are humans just like us, they may even fear death like us, but through their actions, they show that you can dislike, even be afraid of something and still face it head-on. It is the highest act of courage, to find bravery and willpower in times when you face the worst possible outcome.
Final Thoughts
Celebration of this day deserves more than words said and condolences sent nestled between the petals of freshly picked flowers. Would it not be a crime to commemorate an act so deeply rooted in the essence of human dignity, will and determination by merely mouthing prayers? No, that is not acceptable to the dignity of a martyr’s legacy and to truly pay homage to him, we must attempt at embodying his exemplar courage and loyalty to our nation in whatever way we can. What our martyrs leave us with is what we live within, what we build our future upon, and what we peacefully move on from when our time has come. Their legacy is our nation and to honour them, we must honour what they left behind for us.
