I don’t remember Republic Day by images. I remember it by sound.
The thud of shoes on a road somewhere far. A TV volume turned up in living rooms. A neighbour saying, “Dekho dekho, missile aa gaya.” And the quiet sentence that sits behind all of it: Where does the Republic touch my day? Because if the Republic is real, it should show up in ordinary places. At a bus stop where nobody grabs your arm and calls it help. At a metro station where the announcement is clear and the staff is trained. In an office where your competence is not treated like a “good deed.” In a classroom where accessibility isn’t a favour. In a city where you can move without negotiating your dignity every ten steps. That’s my Republic Day test. Not the parade. The pavement. And somewhere inside this test, I think of @Ramaswamy DharamRajan Iyer IES Officer VI Dubai Trip Ramaswamy Dharmarajan. Not because he is a “story.” Because he is a fact. A visually impaired Indian Economic Service officer. Inside the government. Doing the kind of work that shapes how a country thinks: numbers, policy, priorities, planning. No dramatic background music. No poster line. Just a blind person doing what the Constitution promised on 26 January 1950: participation. This is what people miss when they talk about disability and patriotism. Patriotism is not clapping when a blind person succeeds. Patriotism is building a system where their success isn’t an exception. The Republic doesn’t need blind citizens to be inspirational. It needs them to be normal. Normal in classrooms. Normal in hiring. Normal in leadership. Normal in travel. Normal in public life. Because the most radical thing a blind Indian can do in this country is also the most basic thing: Move freely. Choose freely. Work freely. Belong without explanation. So today, if you want to wish someone Happy Republic Day, don’t do it softly. Say it like a citizen speaking to another citizen: Happy Republic Day. May your freedom look like access. May your independence be ordinary. And may this country stop acting surprised when you contribute—because you always have. On Sat, Jan 24, 2026, 1:56 PM Amiyo Biswas <[email protected]> wrote: > > https://scroll.in/article/1090010/why-making-live-events-accessible-for-people-with-disabilities-makes-sense-for-everyone > > With best regards, > Amiyo Biswas > Cell: 6290527506 > > -- > Disclaimer: > 1. Contents of the mails, factual, or otherwise, reflect the thinking of > the person sending the mail and AI in no way relates itself to its veracity; > > 2. AI cannot be held liable for any commission/omission based on the mails > sent through this mailing list.. > > > Search for old postings at: > http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected]/ > --- > You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups > "AccessIndia" group. > To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an > email to [email protected]. > To view this discussion visit > https://groups.google.com/a/accessindia.org.in/d/msgid/accessindia/000801dc8d0b%242e5b3c00%240701a8c0%40DellLaptop > <https://groups.google.com/a/accessindia.org.in/d/msgid/accessindia/000801dc8d0b%242e5b3c00%240701a8c0%40DellLaptop?utm_medium=email&utm_source=footer> > . > -- Disclaimer: 1. Contents of the mails, factual, or otherwise, reflect the thinking of the person sending the mail and AI in no way relates itself to its veracity; 2. AI cannot be held liable for any commission/omission based on the mails sent through this mailing list.. Search for old postings at: http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected]/ --- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "AccessIndia" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [email protected]. To view this discussion visit https://groups.google.com/a/accessindia.org.in/d/msgid/accessindia/CAC%3DrEjtywLT7FJPHcd_zodR0WpLvG%3D_zFVR_xD5nWoPb65JBJQ%40mail.gmail.com.
