This is that pure morning of independence. Some 63 years ago, we seized the soul of our bleeding country from the tortuous talons of the British rule. We paid a heavy price for our independence back then. Six decades after that day, we have marred the purity, immensity and lofty purpose of this independence with our nefarious objectives. We have dwarfed it. “There’s blood everywhere/Who holds a stone/ It’s the first day of the rains/ And the water’s in the house.” The water has not only come inside, it is above our heads now. We hear that the rajmata of Congress, Sonia Gandhi, is worried about the affairs in India. Like the common man, she too is peeved with the prime minister. For, with every passing day, the cost of living is increasing, the transparency model of handling national issues is already in shreds. The ambitious politicians are killing the hopes of democracy every day; it is natural to see the entire governing mechanism as obsolete. So, there’s talk about a change of guard in the offing. It is even being said that this is the last time Manmohan Singh furled the tri-colour today; a date to bid him adieu is set and he will be accepting an offer from the IMF in the next three to four months. If Rahul Gandhi refuses to accept the PM’s post, what will happen of the public’s high expectations? Will someone else’s wishes be answered? Will it be Pranab Mukherjee? But what’s the difference between him and Manmohan Singh? The age and the policies are similar. So will Chidambaram step into the shoes of the post? “Someone dies everyday, it’s difficult for me to live/And time will dry this solitary drop of dew on my lips.”