Sunday, July 4, 2010

Happy Independence Day

Today is 4th of July. America’s Independence Day. Happy Independence Day to all.


Just like India, America got her independence from the British. But they did not get through non-violence. British did not grant them independence. Americans just beat the crap out of the British, made the British Army surrender, and declared their own independence.

Today, there will be a lot of fireworks, parades, and cookouts throughout USA. Fortunately this is a 3-day weekend also.

There are a couple of similarities between India and USA.

They both do not celebrate Queen’s birthday. USA is not a member of the Commonwealth Realms. Most Commonwealth members (former British colonies) still recognize the Queen as their monarch. Some of them are Australia, New Zealand, and Canada. Fortunately, even though India is a member of the Commonwealth, it does not celebrate the Queen’s birthday. Thank God.

Another similarity is both countries chose their own Independence (USA) and Republic (India) dates.

In USA, the Declaration of Independence by the Continental Congress was signed on July 4, 1776, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Even after this date, the British were fighting the Americans. They finally surrendered to the Americans in 1781.

(Latest trivia published only yesterday. Thomas Jefferson, one of the people who wrote the Declaration of Independence, wrote “subjects” when he referred to the American public. He then erased that word and replaced it with “citizens”. Only the British are subjects. Americans and Indians are proud citizens of their country.)

(As I wrote in a previous post, the British Army surrendered to the Americans in Yorktown, Virginia. The surrender ceremony took place on October 19, 1781. The commander of the British Army, General Cornwallis did not attend the surrender ceremony saying he was not feeling well. He sent his deputy, General O’Hara, to officially surrender. Yes, he is the same Cornwallis who became the Governor General of India from 1786 to 1793.)

The Purna Swaraj declaration or Declaration of the Independence of India was promulgated by the Indian National Congress, on January 26, 1930. It was declared in LAHORE. (Nice twist to this post.) Therefore, India selected January 26 in 1950 as the Republic Day.

I am an American Citizen. And, I am of Indian Origin. I am proud of both. Especially for kicking the British out of these 2 countries. Thank God we don’t have to curtsy to anyone. We bend our knees only to God and our elders.

Example for Indo American Friendship. NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration) has a huge flight facility at the Wallops Island. In the main reception hall of that flight facility, there is a huge painting depicting soldiers trying to rocket launch against the enemy. You know who those soldiers are? They are Tipu Sultan’s soldiers trying to rocket launch against the British troops.

Dr. Abdul Kalam wrote: "It turned out to be Tipu Sultan's army fighting the British. The painting depicted a fact forgotten in Tipu's own country but commemorated here on the other side of the planet. I was happy to see an Indian glorified by NASA as a hero of warfare rocketry".

17 comments:

  1. Happy Birthday to the Greatest Country on Earth!!

    Happy Birthday to the USA.
    Long Live the Red, White, and Blue.

    Nice post SG.
    I don't know who the #2 country is in this world...but they are far, far behind #1 - THE USA.

    Regards,
    Patrick Henry - Give me liberty or give me death!

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  2. I liked this post of yours very much, SG!

    You have given so many interesting anecdotes here.

    The best is Tipu Sultan's soldiers trying to rocket launch against the British troops.

    Thank you.

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  3. Thanks for your comments Patrick. Your speech on March 23, 1775, is still considered as one of the great speeches of all time.

    In that speech, before saying Give me liberty or give me death, you said:

    Is life so dear, or peace so sweet, as to be purchased at the price of chains and slavery?

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  4. Thanks for your comments Sandhya. As Dr. Abdul Kalam said Tipu Sultan's bravery is almost forgotten in india.

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  5. Happy independence day!! That was quite informative. Thanks for sharing!!

    I liked this post very much!!

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  6. Happy Independence Day! The post, drawing comparisons, was really very informative and well-written. Really enjoyed reading it, thank u!

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  7. Lovely post full of info :) I always remember 4th of July as my dad's bday!! ;-D

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  8. Really a thing to be proud of ... the courage and determination of both the nation to stand on their own is praise worthy... nice sharing :)

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  9. Thanks for your comments Swatantra. I am glad you liked this post.

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  10. Thanks for your comments Sanand. And, welcome back. Long time no see. I am glad you enjoyed reading this post.

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  11. Thanks for your comments lostworld. I am glad you loved this post. You will never forget the American Independence Day.

    Convey my Happy Birthday wishes to your dad.

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  12. Thanks for your comments Rajlakshmi. As you said, the courage and determination shown by USA and India are commendable.

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  13. Happy Independence day. Hope the celebrations are still on, fire works, parties etc

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  14. Thanks for your comments Chitra. We had a block party. It means all the neighbors gather together and have a potluck lunch.

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  15. SG,

    As usual very good post. I agree with your comparison of India and the USA.

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  16. Thanks for your comments A. I am glad you liked my comparison.

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  17. Nice post and this mail helped me alot in my college assignement. Say thank you you on your information.

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