Freedom and democracy are fundamental principles of both India and the United States. The fight for these principles is a source of immense pride and inspiration for the people of both countries. I was fortunate enough to experience this recently, as the people of the United States celebrated nearly 250 years of their Declaration of Independence and the young, independent India celebrated its 77th year of Independence – ‘Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav’. I carry with pride, my association with both countries and their rich heritage is the foundation of my values and beliefs.
On August 20th, 2023, Indians and Americans from the Houston area gathered to celebrate the 77th anniversary of India’s Independence. The event was held at Stafford Civic Center. I volunteered at a booth we set up for VOSAP, which stands for Voice of Specially Abled People. Our group feels passionately about advocacy and helping people with special abilities feel included in our society. At our booth, we spread awareness about specially-abled people and the discrimination of the society against them. We spoke about everyday struggles specially-abled people face to live a respectful life. We collected donations towards alleviating these struggles and streamlining their everyday lives to help them contribute equally towards our society as they strive to become Independent from their physical bondages.
At the event, I got the opportunity to meet many politically influential people from our community such as Fort Bend County Judge KP George, United States Representative Al Green, Commissioner Andy Meyers, and State Representative Matt Morgan.
The event was an amazing opportunity to effectively pitch my ideas and beliefs about specially-abled communities. It was a great honor to get to speak with State Representative Matt Morgan about VOSAP. He made a generous donation immediately, and even took time out to have a lengthy conversation with us Vosapians. He told us about his job as a state representative, and his goals for the future. He was extremely vocal and coherent about his ideas and I was really inspired by the way he effortlessly indulged everyone in his conversation. I hope that I could inspire him to become a voice for specially- abled people and that he will involve them in his future policies.
I also got to meet Al Green from the United States House of Representatives. He is an extremely humble and compassionate citizen. We told him all about VOSAP and our missions all over the world.
At this year’s Independence Day Event, VOSAP strived to reach 77 donors to commemorate India’s 77th Independence Anniversary. Though we didn’t quite reach our goal, we got many donations from people of all ethnicities and we were successful in raising awareness about VOSAP and our mission to hundreds of people. There were some people who already aligned with VOSAP’s cause. This was great, because it serves to show that VOSAP has been diffusing its ideas successfully over the past years.
Thanks to VOSAP, I could engage in a similar experience while celebrating American Independence on July 4th in Houston. I was involved as a volunteer spreading awareness about specially-abled people at a booth we had set up at the event. We drew attention from the crowd as they got pulled into our stall by the huge picture of Prime Minister: Mr. Narendra Modi with our VOSAP President: Mr. Pranav Desai. This got us respect and attention from the diverse people gathered there. Majority of them took the VOSAP pledge and many donated generously to our cause.
I am incredibly thankful for the opportunity to attend both of these events as they created a deep sense of patriotism within me for both India and the United States. India’s diverse culture and the simplicity of affluent Indians living in the USA, contributing equally to the land where they live and the land of their roots filled me with pride and reverence.
The second event, set against the backdrop of my local community in the United States, evoked a distinct but equally powerful form of patriotism. The sight of the star-spangled banner waving proudly and the national anthem resonating through the huge fields, filled me with a sense of belonging and admiration for the ideals of freedom, democracy, and unity that the United States represents.
These events reminded me that patriotism and independence can take many forms. This reflects with VOSAP’s agenda that independence also relates to individuals, giving them the freedom to make their own choices and be financially self-sufficient. It is a basic human right to live respectably, irrespective of physical limitations. Every individual’s voice needs to be heard.
