The actress talks of what independence means to her
The actress talks of what independence means to her
I am very proud to be an Indian. It's not an empty proclamation, but a statement based of my beliefs and personal experiences, which were ingrained in me since childhood.
I come from an army background.
My parents were doctors in the army and I have spent all my formative years being part of a committed group of people whose main aim is to protect the independence we enjoy today, even if it means giving up their lives.
I have met so many people whose stories can fill a thousand pagesu2026 stories of sacrifice, love, honouru2026 all for the country.
The kids I grew up with, came from the same background, the same schools, but we were still so different.
I will never forget something one of my classmates told me.
She was a shy girl who had so many dreams and aspirations but no outlet to realise them.
In a somewhat deep discussion with her (given our age at the time), she saidu2026 'I want my freedomu2026 to just be.u00a0
To be proud of whatever I do without thinking about what society will say'.u00a0
I realised then that I didn't want to throw away the freedom I had been given by my parents and from that moment I chose to grab every opportunity that came my way.
Miss World was another eye-opener. I walked into room full of women from across the world, feeling slightly inferior.
A few weeks and multiple experiences later, I walked away with a new understanding of how unique we are in this world... a confluence of intelligence, beauty culture, tradition and history.
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I realised that many aspects of who I am is where I come from and I had so many reasons to be proud of being an Indian.u00a0
Ever since then, this fact has been proven to me time and time again at various interactions I have had with people across the globe.
As told to Upala KBR
