The Promise Lives On

On behalf of the Evangelical Fellowship of India, I extend warm greetings to my fellow Indians as we celebrate our nation’s 79^th Independence Day. Today we remember with deep gratitude those who gave everything for our freedom and their vision of an India where every citizen could flourish with dignity and hope.

What a remarkable journey we have travelled together. Our independence was won not by any single community, but through the united efforts of Indians from every faith and background. History may have forgotten many who contributed to this noble cause: leaders like Madhusudan Das who helped shape modern Odisha, Joseph Baptista who championed self-rule with passionate dedication, Accamma Cherian who mobilized women across our land, and Harendra Coomar Mookerjee who later helped craft our Constitution.

The All India Conference of Indian Christians, established in 1914, stood firmly for Swaraj and against partition, believing that India’s true strength lay in unity amid our beautiful diversity. These patriots understood what remains true today: our differences are not obstacles to overcome but gifts that make us stronger as a nation.

As Christians, we take deep pride in our country’s achievements over these 78 years. We celebrate the education, healthcare, and development that have transformed millions of lives. We honour the democratic institutions that allow us to gather freely, worship openly, and contribute to our nation’s progress.

At the same time, we acknowledge that our constitutional promise of equality and justice remains a work in progress. In various parts of our country, some of our fellow citizens, including members of our own community, face challenges including violence in exercising their fundamental rights. Rather than giving in to despair, we need to recommit ourselves to the values that made our freedom struggle victorious.

We also see remarkable reasons for hope. Across India, many young people refuse to be divided by those who would profit from hatred. We have seen religious communities standing together in friendship and sections of civil society working tirelessly to build bridges. In countless daily interactions, ordinary Indians choose understanding over suspicion, love over fear.

This is the India we believe in; the India our freedom fighters envisioned: a nation where children can dream without barriers, where families and communities worship without fear and contribute their unique gifts to our common good. Where justice and mercy flow like rivers across our land.

As we move forward, let us commit ourselves anew to being agents of reconciliation and peace. Let us pledge to serve our motherland with excellence and integrity, to love our neighbours as ourselves, and to work alongside all Indians of goodwill to build the nation our founders dreamed of creating.

The freedoms we celebrate today came through sacrifice and solidarity. The India we are building tomorrow will come through the same spirit – standing together, believing in each other, and never losing faith in the promise of our great nation.

May God bless India with peace, prosperity, and justice for all her children.

Jai Hind!