Beyond flags & fireworks: Young India redefines freedom in 2025

For 22-year-old Parisa Visal, the day will always honour revolutionaries, soldiers, and martyrs. But this year, her pride is laced with protest. Disturbed by the recent Supreme Court verdict on stray dogs, she insists animal rights must stand alongside human liberty. “Even in mythology, animals had respect and rights,” she says. For her, Independence Day should also be about “upgrading our mentality and lifestyle” as a nation.

For Agneya Date (25), a young lawyer, freedom carries a sense of duty. “We must build national character over personal freedom sometimes,” he noted. To him, patriotism isn’t just symbolic. “Rather than just posting tributes to Army on Instagram, we should ensure veterans get timely medical compensation and pensions.” He said true independence starts with decolonising our minds.

Others see freedom through the lens of gender, economy, and personal agency. Prachi Upasani, 21, emphasised, “Living without fear — to work, travel, and express myself without constantly worrying about harassment or judgment is the meaning of liberty.” She calls for breaking free from internalised patriarchy, stressing that independence must be both mental and emotional as much as physical.

Upasani puts women’s safety at the heart of the conversation. “True independence for a woman will be the day she doesn’t have to think twice about returning home safely,” she says as she calls for collective effort and sees a growing wave of youthful nationalistic discourse as a hopeful sign.

For Isha Deshpande, 21, the concept takes on a more pragmatic shade. “Personally, freedom has a monetary aspect,” she says.

While she enjoys other freedoms, she feels true independence will arrive when she starts earning her own income, she told The Indian Express.

Meanwhile, Mrugakshi Patki, 22, sees freedom as the ability to live authentically, without fear, judgment, or imposed limits. For her, it’s not just the absence of restriction but the presence of choice — to think, speak, and act without seeking permission. “True independence,” she says, “is when you can simply be yourself without asking anyone, even yourself, for approval.”