“We fought for freedom from the British Raj. We had hoped for better days. However, I am left with a feeling now that the British era was better than these days.” This is how freedom fighter Chakradhara Parida sees the India of today. The 94-year old Parida, born on January 1, 1923 at Kunjabana village of Brajarajpur panchayat under this block in Nayagarh district, is a reputed Independence hero of this region. He was among the distinguished freedom fighters honoured by President Ram Nath Kovind at Rashtrapati Bhavan this past
week, marking the Quit India Day. Back from his Delhi journey, Parida is a happy man. The reception for the freedom fighters, including the four from Orissa, in Delhi was “a moment to cherish,” he told Orissa Post from his home. It came unexpectedly for them. The media glare and the arc lights enthused him. Says he: Now politicians are shedding crocodile tears. The politics before Independence was selfless and different from what it’s today. It has been rubbished” Excerpts from an interview Sukanta Kishore Dakua had with Parida, for OP at Ranpur
Q: How do you see the change that has come about to India in the post-independence period?
A: Before independence, the people used to live like animals. They had no hope for the future. They lived under the yoke of the British rule. That is old story now. The country has seen advances in every field. India’s is a growth story. Hunger and poverty have been eradicated to some extent. However, overall, I am not happy at the way India is being ruled. Much more was expected from native rulers. The governance now is very dull, and seeing the way things are happening, like the death of children in a UP hospital, I am constrained to feel that perhaps the British governed this nation in a much better way.
Q: What dreams did you have when you fought for Independence?
A: We dreamt for a better life, that’s all. Gandhiji and Subash Bose dreamt for a better life for all Indians. We thought that in an
Independent India, all would get education, health care and due respect from the government. We had dreams of a Ram Rajya as envisaged by the Mahatma. But many such hopes have been dashed in the past seven decades.
Q: How was your meeting with the President?
A: It was a wonderful experience. He shook hands with all of us, and chanted, Jai Hind. We were delighted at the warm treatment we got at the Rashtrapati Bhawan.
Q: Can the freedom fighters help change the nation?
A: Most of us are no more. Only a few are alive. Freedom fighters today have no voice. No one cares for them. If at all they say good things, who is there to listen to them? They can’t be of any help to change things here. May be, we need another revolution to change India and usher in better times.
Q: Gandhi dreamt of Ram Rajya. Why did it not happen?
A: When we got freedom, we were happy. We thought that it was the beginning of the Ram Rajya. After 70 years, I feel that the pre-Independence era was better. Now politicians are shedding crocodile tears. The politics before Independence was selfless and different from what it’s today. It has been rubbished. At the event held August 9, the veteran of the surviving Independence movement received the National Freedom Fighter Samman from President Kovind, besides a jacket and shawl each.
