Freedom: what it is?

India is celebrating '61st independence day' today!!!! Till last one I was in India and as any other proud civilian I used to talk about the freedom, freedom fights, democracy.

I think, I never understood what freedom means. Maybe I didn't realize its importance under the safe and secure environment. (Yes, Mumbai is far more safe!!)

Me and my roomie were having a casual walk after dinner and I was actually telling him about the incidence happened with my Pakistani friend few days back. How he was attacked and threatened when he was walking alone around 9 PM.
Just then we saw a mob of about 8-10 people. We changed our lane and kept walking. I joked that if they catch us we wont be even able to move.

But it was not any other day when you think and it wont happen!!! It did!!!!!

I heard somebody calling us....and we got the sense of situation that we need to hurry. Three or four of them followed us. We started walking fast and at one moment I was almost about to run... luckily we were very much near our apartment.

I hurried and opened the door of a veranda, moved in, closed it, turned back to see actually one of them carrying a pistol. (My roomie claims it to be gun...I was not even in position to realize what was going on...it might be fake one) I opened the main door and rushed upstairs.
(They went after following us up to steps of veranda).

By God's grace nothing happened to us or we just got saved because our apartment was near. Had it been few more minutes chase and god knows what would have happened.

Now I very well know the importance of freedom, freedom fights and democracy!!!

This also reminds me of one more incidence happened to us a month back or so.

We were coming back from Indian grocery shop. Summer was at its peak. It was afternoon time. There was no shade near the bus stop. Parched by the heat, we moved few steps aside and stood in a lawn which was having a big tree spreading its arms all over the place. Comforted by the shade, we heard two kids of about 15-17, "move out of my lawn, you *******"

Without arguing further we moved back into the sun.

I knew importance of being in your OWN land.