Won First place at SAS Speaker's Club 

 Title: My Favorite Freedom Speech: Where The Mind Is Without Fear

Where the mind is without fear and the head is held high

Where knowledge is free

Where the world has not been broken up into fragments

By narrow domestic walls

Where words come out from the depth of truth

Where tireless striving stretches its arms towards perfection

Where the clear stream of reason has not lost its way

Into the dreary desert sand of dead habit

Where the mind is led forward by thee

Into ever-widening thought and action

Into that heaven of freedom, my Father, let my country awake.

Rabindranath Tagore.

This verse has been taken from his poem ‘Gitanjali’, which he wrote prior to independence. Tagore has expressed a simple prayer for the country, where he visualizes a paradise called “India”. This verse has been used extensively in public speeches and is my favorite.

Although India is a free, or independent country today, in reality, we’re far from that ”heaven of freedom” that Tagore has dreamed about.

The India of Tagore’s dreams is a country where there is an atmosphere of fearlessness, but in the India of today, citizens live in constant fear of bomb threats. For women, there is no freedom from fear of sexual violence in this country.

The India of Tagore’s dreams is a country where knowledge should be free for all. In 1950 India made a Constitutional commitment to provide free education to all children up to 14 yrs. In 2002 they made this into a fundamental right for children. Yet universal implementation and access to good quality elementary education is a highly questionable.

The India of Tagore’s dreams is a country with no boundaries. But the India of today does not stand united. Internal divisions among states, communities, religions and political parties pose a bigger risk than any external threat. Our biggest enemies are within the country, not outside. And we know that these are more notorious than any external foes.

The India of Tagore’s dreams is a country where truth and honesty prevail. The India of today is a country rife with political scams, fraud and corruption. Anti-corruption mechanisms are ineffective, and there is widespread public cynicism. Faith in administrative, judicial and democratic systems is wavering.


The India of Tagore’s dreams is a country where Indians are constantly striving for improvement, where the people are logical & progressive in thoughts & actions. But unfortunately the growth and progress is not inclusive. Not all parts of India are shining.

Are we living in an India of Tagore’s dreams? In the India of today, then, can we hold our heads high? SO friends……….

Let us wake up to the reality of an “India” that is sadly losing its sheen.

Let us rake up the beauty and universality of Tagore’s words, Tagore’s poem and Tagore’s dream.

Let us live up to his vision that we have been unable to realize till today, more than 50 years since he penned those words in ink.

What should we do about this?

I think we should stamp his words on billboards. Stamp his words in the media. Stamp his words in our minds, in indelible golden ink!

And each and every one of us must contribute our bit towards change, and towards fullfilling the dream.!!!