Illustration/Uday Mohite

So, in two days we will be celebrating our 70th Independence Day. Woohoo! Imagine that. Seventy years of being independent, of eating what we want, expressing freely what we feel, no boundaries of caste or religion. Okay, so some Stone Age men have taken 'independence' to mean they can 'independently' drive around the streets of the country, stalking, harassing and molesting women, chasing them in SUVs, occasionally kidnapping them. Other misogynistic ministers feel they can 'independently' voice their opinion on how women should dress. But this is not a piece about regressive men in progressive India. This is about the patriotism I'm feeling leading up to August 15.