Praying for Georgia

By Manuwant Choudhary

On our own independence day I want to pray for the people of Georgia who face invading Russian tanks and air-strike....no this is something our Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh did not talk about from the ramparts of the Red Fort, from behind bullet-proof enclosures.

My heart goes out to TV journalist Tamara Urushadze who was hit by a Russian sniper while reporting live on television from the Russian-occupied town of Gori.

The 32-year-old Tamara was reporting on the South Ossetia crisis when a sniper hit her arm and she ducked a spray of bullets while her crew could not believe what had happened.

Amazingly, the reporter was soon helped onto a truck from where she continues with her live report on the occupation of Gori.

When I pray for Georgia I also pray for India and all countries whose freedoms have been taken away.

But our Prime Minister's speach was about empty chairs and empty promises, yes he does not have the courage to even mention Georgia because that would be interfering in the internal affairs of the Congress Party's greatest ally the Russians.

And no mention of Tibet because of India's deep friendship with China.

The Indian PM will not even share a common podium with his Holiness the Dalai Lama for fear of offending the Chinese,, while Sonia Gandhi makes n number of visits to Beijing to meet Communist deputies.

Is India a free country? And are we Indian enough to be like Tamara?

Can you take a sniper shot and yet do your job - speak the truth even if it means being alone.

On independence day I would like to remember the Swatantra Party, India's only party that could stand up to the world. It was in August 1959 that C. Rajagopalachari, India's first Governor General, founded the party along with Mr. Minoo Masani, a great liberal.

This year would mark the 50th year of the Swatantra Party had it existed.

Yet, the Swatantra Party does exist in our dreams and whenever we think of the good of this country this name will come up again and again.

Hence, on India's independence day I would announce the setting up of a website swatantraparty.net for the sake of freedom.
(This site is currently under construction)