The Soul of Love
On India’s 75th year of freedom
The call for a united nation emerged in our motherland
From the wise sage Kautilya over two millenniums ago
Our people fought for the right to be free
From the wayward winds of invaders through the centuries
They stormed our home hunting for unearned gold
Yet their dark legacy proved too fragile to endure
Satyamev Jayate
Thus run the letters inscribed under the quadruple lion heads
They signify the emblem of free India
The Truth Alone Triumphs
For just as the mighty Asoka who built this lion capital
Discovered himself, millenniums ago
As a newly reformed king
On the verge of ending his legacy of bloodshed
The soul of goodness always endures
Today we step on the brink
Of a historic 75 years’ worth of freedom
The power to govern and defend ourselves has created
An inner confidence that prospers into progress
The sheer talents of our people are resounding
Like golden bells ringing from all corners of the planet
Be it athletics, science or spirituality
Our India keeps pace with her people’s talents
Through her rise from poverty and growing economy
Through rapid digitalization and sustainable living
For all of her 1.3 billion children
Yet if we take a step back to observe the past
There is a hard won lesson reflected in our history
Paid in the price of both blood and wealth
One that no Indian can afford to forget
We would do so at our own peril
The lesson runs as follows
The British could only submerge us into their empire
With the power of dishonest tactics and manipulation
They sowed the seeds of mutual hatred in our hearts
That weakened us until we eventually fell
For the enduring truth of humanity is that
Unity alone has the power to protect itself
Our history thus educates us
United we are strong
Divided we fall
God sowed a natural soul of love
In our hearts for each other
Let us embrace it
For it blooms to bind us all in a bouquet
Of beauty, unity and trust
In the era of flourishing sincerity and progress
Someone’s ego and entitlement must take a fall
In the national wave unleashing positive change
Someone’s greed must lose the game of power
Our wisdom should never be blinded
By those who seek to control us for their gain
To target our fears about each other
To make us inflame inwards and burn
Like petals that crush each other out of fear
Hurting the beauty
Of the rose in bloom
When it comes to the greater well being of us all
As citizens born under one national flag
As the children of the same age old spiritual soil
We must prioritize the good of our country
Above every petty issue that divides us
Our concern should be for our nation first
Let our faith in each other hold so firm
That no sly force ever has the power
To once more turn us against each other
For a united nation cannot fall
We shall let nothing tarnish
Our strength ever again in the future
The soul of love always endures
All we must remember is to
Keep our hearts interconnected
And protect the rose in bloom
