I remember my school days when I would be part of the march past squad for Republic day and Independence day. On those two days, we would have the flag hoisting session, where we would wear the Indian flag instead of our badges and salute the flag by singing the national anthem. History books were always there to tell us about the freedom struggle that India as a nation faced to acquire the Independence from the British, and how Republic Day is a tribute to the date on which the Constitution of India came into effect as the governing document of India. It was always a proud moment to salute the Indian flag and be a part of the parade at school and those memories are priceless. The euphoria of these days seem to have reduced somehow and it is difficult to spot as many celebrations and similar enthusiasm as I used to see as a kid. One really has to look out for any parades or flag hoisting or even find stalls or sellers with flags and other trinkets. With Aryaa now growing up, I want to pass on the stories and learning to her, and I want to make sure that she does her bit for the nation even though it may be on a smaller scale. Now that she is communicating clearer and understanding most of the things we tell her, PS and I decided to step out on Republic Day and put in efforts to locate whatever that we could, so that she could start to experience the magic of what we did as kids.
