Independence Day   2025 marks India's 79th year of Independence—79 years since she was freed from the shackles of colonial rule. It’s a holiday that everyone looks forward to, especially with a long weekend like this year. I am proud of all that my country has achieved in these past 79 years. She has come into her own. As flag-hoisting ceremonies are held and the national anthem, along with patriotic songs, are sung, I pray to God to bless her people with a stronger civic sense. - I pray that her children maintain her secular fabric and that all live in harmony. - That women are given the freedom and justice they deserve. - That education and literacy reach even her most distant corners. - May all her children learn to speak the language of love. - That justice prevails and corruption is thwarted. That the hard-earned freedom be used wisely. May our beautiful motherland continue to rise from strength to strength, and may God be with her always. Jai Hind! This post is par...

  The Indian Soldier: Valour, Sacrifice and More   We learned to sing “Yeh Sone ki Hai Dharti” and a couple of other patriotic songs in school. Every time we sang them, I felt as proud as a peacock to belong to this wondrous land we call Bharat Mata.   We love our motherland and would not want to endanger her or her sons and daughters in any way. Hence, I am also very proud of our soldiers, our bravehearts, who risk life and limb to protect and preserve our precious Bharat Mata and her children in every way. From the icy Siachen glacier to the scorching deserts of Rajasthan, across skittish border conditions, in the dense jungles of the northeast, our soldiers never fail to prove their mettle and might. The Indian Army is the second largest military force in the world and is the  world’s largest volunteer army. A volunteer army consists of individuals who volunteer to serve rather than being conscripted or drafted.    Protecting the nation:...