CELEBRATION OF FOURTH OF JULY AS WORLD FREEDOM DAY

Posted on July 4, 2015 Updated on July 4, 2015

CELEBRATION OF FOURTH OF JULY AS WORLD FREEDOM DAY:

On behalf of Special Frontier Force I am celebrating Fourth of July as World Freedom Day. I render service to Special Frontier Force for the United States has joined us in a partnership to promote Freedom, and Peace in Occupied Tibet. United States must renew, and revitalize spirits of all citizens to cherish the values on which the nation is founded. The principles of natural rights, freedom, democracy, peace, and pursuit of happiness are universal values and Tibetans have a natural right to Freedom and join the Fourth of July Celebration as equal partners.

Rudranarasimham Rebbapragada
Ann Arbor, MI 48104-4162, USA
The Spirits of Special Frontier Force

				The Spirits of Special Frontier ForceSpecial Frontier Force is a military organization funded by United States to secure Freedom &…
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WHAT DOES INDEPENDENCE DAY MEAN FOR A NEW CITIZEN

PRI

DEEPAK SINGH

 

July 4th is the day when America became independent, and July 4th is the day when I became an American citizen. It’s a big day for America. It’s a huge day for me.

I’m going to celebrate this day with a bunch of people who are from all around the globe: Colombia, Brazil, Slovakia, Mexico, Taiwan, China, Sweden, and of course, the United States.
I’ve had an American passport for five years now. On paper, I am a legal, law-abiding American citizen, and on paper, I am not an Indian citizen anymore. I wonder about all this. What does it mean to be an American? Am I an American now? Am I not an Indian anymore? Now that I have pledged allegiance to the Star-Spangled Banner, do people see me as an American? And for the same reason, do people not see me as an Indian, anymore?

Every year, July 4th makes me reflect about my journey from India to the United States. About 15 years ago, I moved to the US, and I didn’t even know the significance of July 4.
Before that, I celebrated August 15 — the day when India gained independence from the British. I, as a child, got excited about this day, mostly because I got off school early that day. I never wanted to miss school on August 15 because we got laddoos, a donuthole-like sweet snack, a pack of candies and a tiny Indian flag. I walked back home with my friends from school and then played cricket most of the day. I never went to any cookout parties in India where they had giant cakes that looked like an Indian flag.

Tomorrow, in Ann Arbor, I will be at a cookout party and there will be a giant cake with an American flag. This brings me back to the question: Am I an American? Or am I still an Indian? And, most importantly, do these labels have to be so exclusive?

Readers, what do you think about being American and labels and the Fourth? Let us know in the comments section. And if you want to get into the historical issues of the Fourth, with a rock beat, we offer you this video.)

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