August 15 Beyond the Red Fort

India marks its 79th Independence Day as a journey through history, built by the efforts of millions and grounded in the promise of 1947.

- Mohammad Amin Mir

For decades, the day was marked by parades, speeches, and school drills. In recent years, something more organic has emerged.

The Tiranga rallies have spread from capital boulevards to the smallest lanes of our towns. They have shifted the flag from a thing you watch to a thing you carry.

This shift is especially striking in the valley. The Tricolour once appeared here mostly on government buildings or in moments of official ceremony. Today, it is winding its way through market streets, village squares, and river embankments.

Shopkeepers lean out of their shutters to wave. Children dart between groups with flag pins in their hands. In places where the flag once divided, it is becoming a meeting ground.

The rallies work because they lower the barriers to participation. You don't need to be a politician, a soldier, or a celebrity. You need a flag, a few friends, and the willingness to walk.

Farmers in Kupwara have marched past fields ready for harvest. Health workers of Pulwama have led lines of schoolchildren singing the anthem. Urban pensioners have walked alongside young professionals on their way to work.

Every step says the same thing: this country belongs to all of us.