Dr. Shruti Shankar Gaur

Poem by Dr. Shruti Shankar Gaur written on the eve of India’s Independence Day August 14, 2024

Who can be considered free? 

Am I free? 

I had been contemplating for long, 

With the limited knowledge I possess

This is my truth today, 

Apparently, my motherland might have been free, 

But I am far from being free. 

Think about it: 

Am I free from social labels?

Am I free from judgements and perceptions?

Am I free from judging and perceiving? 

Am I free from personal beliefs that narrow my experiences? 

Am I free from expectations: self or of others? 

Am I free from social stigmas and cultural training? 

That prevents me from expressing the divinity. 

To me, freedom means being self-governed at the individual level

Freedom is being self- regulated, and self-disciplined. 

I have realised I am on this journey of self-learning, 

My long walk to freedom. 

We focus on freedom externally, 

However, freedom has to be an internal experience, 

We must be aware and must execute: 

Freedom of thought, 

Freedom of choice, 

Freedom to pursue our will. 

While being aware of our duties,

Being responsible for our thoughts, words and actions,  

Because I am still bound by the society, 

And everything I say or do causes a ripple,

Just like a butterfly flapping her wings, 

In the cosmos of the entire universe. 

Let’s enliven a new freedom,

Deliberate and by choice,  

Freedom to love, 

Freedom to be kind,

To ourselves and everyone around,

Freedom to express ourselves, 

Freedom to decode- Who am I?

Freedom to demystify the purpose of this life,  

That’s my long walk to freedom. 

I have tasted this freedom, 

Whenever I am deeply immersed, 

I feel free from everything that binds me,

It’s like floating in an ocean of infinity, 

I desire to taste this freedom every moment, 

My long walk to freedom.