Chitra Visweswaran
(Veteran Bharatanatyam exponent and guru)
Numerous thoughts flow through my mind as I mull over the concept of freedom. There are so many shades to it, that countless questions are thrown up. Moreover, the word freedom has several synonyms and antonyms with each one having immediate relevance to a particular situation and to a large extent, a particular stage in one’s life.
The first question that springs to my mind is, ‘Freedom for what and freedom from what?’ And is it as in physical, emotional, intellectual, artistic, creative, political freedom, or is it the freedom of expression or of choice, or the seven freedoms in the Constitution of India, that we so heartily abuse, or is it about being unshackled, un-bound and being absolved of all responsibility? Or is it about liberty, swatantira urimai, aazaadi, moksha or mukti? But whatever it maybe, even as there is a flip side to every coin, all freedoms come with appendages and trappings.
Freedom is like a prism with multi reflective surfaces. It all depends upon which angle/plane one views it from. As one grows up, matures and evolves, one’s perspective of freedom, at every juncture, also changes. I too, like everyone else, desired distinct kinds of freedom at varied stages in my life. But I have come to realise that throughout, it was freedom of expression that was the all important, underlying, unifying factor, at every point of time in my life.
I was brought up to be well-disciplined, deeply immersed in‘Bharatiya samskriti’, to study various art forms and languages in depth, to read widely and deeply, encouraged to question, search, re-search and discover beyond our shores, an inspiring fund of knowledge. While being deeply anchored in this rich foundation, which was further strengthened by a value system, I was, in addition, constantly motivated to think out-of-the-box. At home, it was almost a dictum, "If there are five ways of doing something, find the sixth!” So, pushing the envelope became second nature to me. And to do that you need to be free of fear, free of weak will power and free of the desire to please everyone. Harking back today, I realise that I was never forced into any of this. At every instance, I was given freedom of choice for which I am deeply appreciative. But it is not as though I did not ever come up against dissent or criticism, but when I did, at every stage in my life, because of my upbringing, I had the conviction to stand up for my values and convince others to my way of thinking. My parents often used to say, “You should have taken up law, you put forth your case so convincingly!” ...a sentiment later echoed by my husband too!!!
To me, freedom of choice is the birthright of every human being. The choice could be deliberately thought out or could be impulsive and inspired. But given that right, or for that matter any other freedom, it is not for us to either abuse it or encroach upon the freedom of others. Respect other’s choices as much as you would cherish your own.
We all are social animals. We live in a society. We have certain social and familial responsibilities. And when the time comes for me to shoulder them, I do not believe in sacrificing these responsibilities at the altar of my desire for freedom. Such decisions could, at times have restricted my freedom, but every one of those decisions was propelled by the freedom of choice.