Silchar: Along with the rest of the country, Radhamadhab College, Silchar, celebrated the 79th Independence Day on Friday with enthusiasm and patriotic spirit. The tricolour was hoisted on the college campus in the morning by Vice Principal Dr. Rahul Chakraborty. A march-past by the NCC cadets of the college was one of the highlights of the occasion.

As part of the Independence Day celebrations, the college had organised extempore speech and quiz competitions on August 13 and 14 with active participation from students. On Friday, Acting Principal Dr. Arundhati Dutta Choudhury distributed prizes to the winners.

The competitions were judged by faculty members including Dr. Kalipada Das, Dr. Suryasen Dev, Dr. Pia Das, Dr. Swarnali Roy Choudhury, Dr. Asishtaru Roy and Namrata Nath, among others. The programme was attended by teaching and non-teaching staff along with students.

Addressing the gathering, Vice Principal Dr. Rahul Chakraborty spoke on the significance of Independence Day. “We stand today in the 79th year of independent India, a freedom that came at the cost of immense sacrifice after a long period of British rule. But true independence will remain incomplete unless we make ourselves self-reliant,” he said.

Quoting Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose’s famous words, “Give me blood, I will give you freedom,” Dr. Chakraborty remarked that the spirit of sacrifice and collective strength of citizens remains the real power behind the nation.

“The nation is like our mother, and protecting it is not the sole responsibility of the government. Every citizen has a role to play. Instead of blaming the government for every problem, we should also take initiative to find solutions ourselves,” he urged.

He also called upon the students of Radhamadhab College to learn love and respect from their institution and take a pledge to carry forward the values of true independence. Highlighting India’s progress, Dr. Chakraborty said, “Today, India’s name has spread across the world. We have attained digital freedom, but that does not mean we can act irresponsibly.”

Referring to the incident of August 12, which he described as unfortunate for the college, he condemned the misuse of digital freedom through circulation of false information on social media. “Science has no inherent character it depends on how we use it. The responsibility lies with the citizens, especially educated students, to use it for constructive purposes,” he added.

The event concluded with a renewed sense of patriotism and commitment among the students and faculty of the college.