India
has been celebrating since penultimate week its 73rd independence anniversary
as a democratic nation having been juristically established on August 15, 1947
after several decades of British colonialism. But the great Indian nation did
not begin only about seven decades ago. Rather, it is the proud beneficiary of
several millennia of great and memorable history, culture and civilization.
Indian independence movement began in 1857 spanning 90 years before achieving
self rule in 1947.
As
the enterprising people of India celebrate their bold attempt at shaking off
the yoke of British imperialism and economic strangulation, yours sincerely is
pleased to join millions of people, nations and organizations all over the
world to congratulate this wonderful and spicy nation on her march from poverty
and despair to a position of preeminence, respect and pride. It would not be an
overstatement to say that the transformation of India is not only a challenge
to the sub-continent of Asia but has also provided a shining example for most
other countries still battling with the vagaries of underdevelopment,
militarism, poverty and corruption.
Showing posts with label Jawaharlal Nehru. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Jawaharlal Nehru. Show all posts
Monday, August 31, 2020
Wednesday, January 2, 2019
May Our Road Be Rough In 2019!
By Banji
Ojewale
Tai Solarin, Nigeria’s under-celebrated educationist,
social critic and visionary reformer, wrote a newspaper article 55 years ago to
usher in 1964. He simply titled the essay, May
Your Road Be Rough. It was the great man’s prayer that the going should be
tough and rough for his compatriots during the year.
Hardly a wish to say Amen to by millions who were in
churches across Nigeria and worldwide to usher in the year 2019. In his days,
as it still is in our age, Solarin realized the controversy his position would
generate. So, early in the write-up he allayed his readers’ fears. He wasn’t
wishing them evil, he averred.
“I am not cursing you;” he said. “I am wishing you what I
wish myself every year. I therefore repeat, may you have a hard time this year,
may there be plenty of troubles for you this year!” If fellow citizens didn’t
know how to respond to this strange salutation on New Year’s Day, the
Ikenne-born writer offered this counsel: ‘’ If you are not so sure what you
should say back, why not just say, ‘Same to you’? I ask for no more.’’
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