THE INDIA I STILL BELIEVE IN

I remember the wounds before praising the dawn,

The plundered wealth, the fields drained and wan.

From sepoy mutiny thunder in fifty-seven’s fight,

To Gandhi’s moral march and Bose’s aggression with might,

The INA’s courage and 1946’s Royal Indian Navy Mutiny on the sea.

An exhausted empire set a captive nation free.

Five thousand years of history we protect and hold,

To preserve, protect and prosper a legacy manifold.

Inspired by the American Dream, yet built on our own theme,

We shape the noble promise of our own Indian Dream.

Where liberty means duty and ambition aligns with care,

With dignity, conscience and purpose that we share.

If Germany rose from the ash and dust,

If Japan rebuilt from atomic fire and rust,

If Europe rebuilt, if China endured,

If Israel rose from Holocaust wounds and learned to stand,

Why call poverty destiny in our own land?

What shall freedom mean when two centuries align,

By twenty-forty-seven, in our own design?

I dream of classrooms where curiosity thrives,

And caring hospitals where value saves lives.

Where swift, equal laws protect the weak and the fair,

And roads, ports, and power flow like blood through the air.

Where rockets, microchips and AI take flight,

An economy created with indigenous might.

Let soldiers carry courage backed by science and art,

Not importing tomorrow, but crafting every part.

Take China’s long vision and Japan’s quiet grace,

America’s enterprise and Bhutan’s peaceful pace;

Borrow these principles, but let character guide,

For Vivekananda’s fire must awaken inside.

Stop asking, “What will my country give to me?”

Ask, “What can I build so that India stays free?”

Let wealth rise with honour, and power without greed,

A nation where duty and conscience lead.

For India ascends when her people stand true,

To respect the great future we now must renew.