Actor Anupam Bhattacharya, who is seen in the Hrithik Roshan starrer film War 2 and is also seen in Star Plus’ Ishani on the small screen, feels that India’s Independence Day, which is celebrated on 15th August, can never be marked as just another holiday. He says, “15th August will never lose its significance for those who understand the price one has paid to attain freedom. So it’s way above being just another holiday and social media post.”
“Today’s generation may not fathom what our ancestors may have gone through; if you did, you would value it more. Hence, it is important to educate them, and a sense of gratitude should never die,” he adds.
From our freedom fighters, Anupam was deeply moved by Subhash Chandra Bose, whose ideology was ‘You give me blood, and I’ll give you freedom.’ He says, “He believed freedom is your birthright, but you should know how to assert yourself if it’s taken away from you, even if it means giving up your life for it. We must value our freedom and not take it for granted, and surely not misconceive and misuse it.”
“My upcoming show SENA: ‘Guardians of the Nation’ on Amazon MX Player, produced by TVF, is one of many great stories of the Indian army. Please give your love to it,” he adds.
He also stresses that the potential for a nation to grow and flourish depends a lot on the youth of the nation. “Their capacity to work, coupled with their young and dynamic ideas, is what drives a nation to be recognised globally. But having said that, if the youth is not guided well, it may be disastrous, and the scores of misinformation and overdose of social media platforms can hamper their mind. Hence, education is an absolute must, and programs should be designed to use social media responsibly and stay focused on your life goals,” he says.
“As a country, we should devise ways and means to nurture and train them to take responsibility. Youth like Neeraj Chopra and Gukesh Dommaraju should inspire our youth and are my youth icons who have shown how precious your time as a youth is to focus on your goals and achieve greatness. Every individual in this country, especially the youth, has the potential to contribute to the growth of a nation. I feel that over the years we have actually stagnated because of the overdose of social media and political influence. We need to break free from these bandages to thrive as a nation,” Anupam ends.
