She remembers waving miniatures of the tricolour and singing the national anthem every Aug 15. But for Krishnaben Vipin Chandra Parikh of Gujarat, it means more than just Independence Day - it's her and her daughter-in-law's birthday!

Born Aug 15, 1947, Parikh turns 60 this year and fondly recollects incidents, small and big, in her life that somehow reflect the way India has been growing since its independence.

"I am getting old, you see, so I have forgotten a lot of things. Some memories come to me in flashes," she said half laughing.  

"But I clearly remember having a ball every Aug 15. Classes used to be suspended, so we had lots of fun. We used to go to school early in the morning dressed in our starched uniform and do various exercises holding miniatures of the national flag," Parikh told IANS on telephone from Rajkot.

"Then we would sing the national anthem and gorge on the sweets. The importance of the day and the sentiment behind it dawned upon me as I grew up," she said.

Since her father was a health officer, Parikh remembers shifting from one school to another every few years depending on where her father got transferred. She passed her Class 10 board exams from Ranpur Janmabhumi High School in Chura.

"Those days there were not many girls going to school in the rural areas but I was one of the lucky ones. My father insisted that I go to school and I passed my exams with flying colours," she said.

But she couldn't study further. "Girls used to get married off at an early age then. I was married off at 21," Parikh said.

Soon she was blessed with a daughter. Another daughter and then a son followed. "The house was full and happy. But as fate would have it, my husband passed away after a few years. I was just 29," she trailed off.

"I did not lose hope. I used to keep hearing stories of how women came out of their homes and took part in the freedom struggle.

"Those stories used to really inspire me. I used to think if these women could give up everything for our country, couldn't I even handle my life?"

And get a hold on her life she did. She enrolled for a Primary Teaching Course and started teaching in a primary school. After that she did her BA and then went on to do her BEd.

After a few years of teaching, she became the principal of Narendra Korba Kanya Shala, an all-girls school.

Teaching, imparting knowledge and seeing little girls grow into confident women, Parikh said of all the changes that she has seen in India post-independence, women's empowerment is the best.

"Earlier if a girl was born in the family, there would be no celebrations. She was considered a burden. Unlike her brothers, her education held no meaning. All that the family would be concerned about was to get her married in a good family.

"In fact, so bad were conditions that after daughters were married off, the family would pray for her happiness and constantly worry that she should not be tortured for dowry," she added.

While some of this still prevails in the country, Parikh believes that overall things have improved a lot. "Today, I feel proud to see our women folk score high marks in exams and work shoulder to shoulder with her male counterparts."

Not surprisingly, India's first woman prime minister, Indira Gandhi, holds a special place in Parikh's heart.

"I was thrilled when she became the prime minister. I don't remember feeling as much respect for any other leader as I did and do for her. She gave us the hope that if we have the will, women can do everything."

Parikh's dream of meeting Gandhi came true in the late 1970s. "There was a workshop for teachers and we went to Delhi. I couldn't hold back my excitement when I came to know that we would be meeting Indira Gandhi.

"I had taken my eldest daughter along with me because I didn't want her to miss this golden opportunity. I can never forget that day! There she was, radiant in a crisp cotton sari," she smiled.

If a meeting with Indira Gandhi was a happy occasion she can't forget, then the India-Pakistan war in 1971 is another time in history that Parikh can't erase from her mind.

"That was a very difficult time in our lives. So many families in our area in Rajkot had their sons, fathers and husbands fighting for the country. And sacrificing their lives... I remember reading the 'Sandesh' daily and 'Gujarat Samachar' for updates of the war.

"There were days of blackout - when there would be no electricity and the area would be plunged into darkness. The wails from a faraway house and the darkness around... I still get goose bumps when I think of those days now."

As she talked about the country's development, the economic growth and the technological advancements, she said she couldn't believe that in one lifetime she had been through days when letters used to take months to arrive, sometimes even get lost, and today when one could get in touch with anyone in the world with just the click of a button or through the phone.

One thing, however, that depresses her the most is the attitude of people these days.

"Earlier life was very simple. As kids we used to more than happy if our parents gave us a rupee to buy a chocolate. The excitement in plucking a mango from the tree is nothing compared to buying kilos of it from the market now.

"It saddens me somehow today how selfish people are becoming. The simplicity of life is long gone," Parikh said.

In the 60th year of India's independence, Parikh is upbeat. "We have just had our first woman president, Pratibha Patil. Isn't that great? We are in the right direction but we still have a long way to go." 

August 11, 2007

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