Independence is not just freedom from another

Indians all over the world raise a patriotic flag on August 15. And rightly so. It is a cherished memory of a tireless struggle for freedom. It reminds every Indian of the beginning of a new beginning. The beginning of an era of liberation from the clutches of British colonialism. For this reason, nearly 1,000 people of Indian descent gathered at the High Commission of India in London to celebrate the 78th Independence Day with music, dance and patriotic songs.

As the world gears up for AI, rigorous preparations have been made to secure the festivities. Sharpshooters, elite SWAT team soldiers, kite catchers and snipers have been posted at strategic locations to ensure the security of the Prime Minister and other VVIP guests at the Red Fort in New Delhi. Additionally, 700 AI-based CCTV cameras with facial recognition have been installed in downtown Delhi. These cameras have high-resolution pan-tilt-zoom capabilities that enable identification of a person from a distance, the officials said.

While one could argue that this independence lies at the macro level of freedom and therefore directly affects us at the micro level of our being, I see the mantra 'Be Free' permeating personal economic freedom, without which all freedom gets washed away in the struggle of the materialistic world we live in. I sought women empowerment from a young age but was wise enough to know that for this generous idea to take root, I had to be financially independent first. A simple yet profound realization that must take root in us is that dependence on anyone or anything means a loss of independence.

A few years ago, during a talk on leadership yoga that I gave to young employees at Deloitte, I was asked the question: “How do you manage not to be dependent on anything other than yourself or on anything outside of yourself?”