Thread by @SaketGokhale

Independence Day & the Mahatma:

I remember going to this restaurant in Siem Reap, Cambodia, which is operated by the North Korean government. It is believed that these restaurants are a front for the Kim family to launder their money to get past international sanctions. (1/16)

The waitresses who work at these restaurants are picked from elite families in Pyongyang. They are posted at these places & waiting on tables is just a part of the job. Mostly, they’re expected to listen on conversations (especially those of South Korean customers) (2/16)

They live as prisoners in these places. Stepping out of the place is impossible & their families back home would be dead if they escaped.

All employees are North Koreans who have had zero exposure to the outside world. Therefore, I was very curious to interact with them. (3/16)

We ordered our meals and started talking to the waitresses. The topic veered towards where I was from and when I said India, she said it’s the first time she’s ever met anyone from that country. She asked me a million questions about India. (4/16)

While leaving, I showed her an Indian currency note & offered it to her as a little souvenir to remember our interaction.

She took it in her hands, her eyes lit up and she immediately asked me “That’s Gandhi, right?” (5/16)

It blew my mind to know that a person from the heart of the most inward-looking, totalitarian, and controlled hermit kingdom knew about Gandhi ji . I have ZERO idea how a North Korean person even knew about who Mahatma Gandhi was. (6/16)

When I asked her curiously, she said that they were taught about him in school with stories about how he fought imperialism successfully without shedding a drop of blood. In a country that's building nukes, non-violence was still taught in schools if not practiced. (7/16)

Today, those in power celebrate & glorify the killer of Mahatma Gandhi. However, what they couldn’t do (and will never be able to do) is erase his memory & legacy.

He lives on not only in India but it some of the most surprising corners of the world. (8/16)

Even today, his killers and their ideological counterparts are forced to acknowledge and praise his legacy.

Today, Modi ji HAD TO start the day with a visit to Rajghat even when Godse-worshipping terror accused Sadhvi Pragya is a lawmaker of his party. (9/16)

They killed Gandhi but they couldn’t erase him. And strangely, by trying to do so, they only proved to us the strength and resilience of the Mahatma’s ideas.

The tyrants in power today still fear the Mahatma & his ideals even after they killed him 7 decades ago. (10/16)

And with our very freedom, fundamental rights, & our Constitution again under a siege today, the Mahatma is ever more relevant as we struggle to defend the idea of India & everything that our country & our Constitution stands for. (11/16)

To sum it up in the words of Gandhi ji:

“The only tyrant I accept in this world is the 'still small voice' within me”.

As we celebrate #IndependenceDay2019 amidst a grave threat to our freedom, democracy, & our Constitution, it is very important to remember these words. (12/16)

May this be an occasion to remind ourselves of our humanity, our secularism, and every ideal that we have stood for. May we today pledge to reclaim our country from the tyrants - reclaim an India that has always stood as a beacon to the world. (13/16)

And may we remember every single person who has perished in the cause of our Independence. May we remain sensitive to every injustice around us & get a hold of ourselves before we become zombies. (14/16)

And most importantly - may we remember to not take our cherished independence for granted with what's happening around us.

And to not forget our duty to stand up for every person that suffers injustice especially when our humanity itself is at stake. (15/16)

My greetings to all fellow Indians on #IndependenceDay2019 with the hope that we keep searching & fighting for even a single ray of light amidst this darkness before we lose our way forever. (16/16)