Page 2 - My Lockdown Diary

Aatmanirbhar Bharat- Swatantra Bharat.

सर्वं परर्वशं द ुःखं सर्ववमात्मर्वशं स खम् ।

- Whatever is in other’s control brings nothing but pain; what’s in us, is what true
happiness.

Self-Reliance, sometimes synonymous with self sufficiency and self control; is what makes a
person rely on his own powers, abilities and resources rather than simply depending on others.
It is what brings confidence and a sense of pride in what is one’s own. Now comes the million-
dollar question- What is ‘Aatmanirbhar’ then ? Is it same as Self-Reliance ? The answer is no.
Never can just being self-reliant be called Aatmanirbhar. It’s something beyond mere believing

in one’s own things. Aatmanirbhar is a concept, a process in which we bring out and develop
our inherent qualities and give it a perfect shape rather than simply adopting the readymade
ones of others. Be at personal level, societal level or at National level being Aatmanirbhar is
what called the need of the hour.

At personal level Aatmanirbhar means a lot. It is mixed with self-confidence and self-respect.
It is said-

मनस्र्वी म्रियते कामं कापवण्यं न त गच्छतत।

अपप तनर्वावणमायातत नानलो यातत शीतताम् ।।

- People of self-respect rather have death than humiliation. Fire dies out but never turns
cold.

And thus if we culture our thoughts innovations and ideas along with self-respect and self-
confidence then it becomes truly Aatmanirbhar. Being self reliant along with strong
determination to succeed is what it teaches us. Being aatmanirbhar is the only success mantra
to survive in the post-pandemic period. We need to cherish our thoughts, innovate from what
we have, explore the depths of what we know and help ourselves on our own; because the

best place to find a helping hand is the end of our own arm. Success will only come when we
will know our own abilities and develop them, without fully depending on others. We need to
identify our strengths and upgrade it as a part of being Aatmanirbhar. We should never put
the key of our success and happiness in someone else’s pocket.

At societal level, Aatmanirbhar means the propagation of ethnic culture, maintenance of
social heritage, freedom of markets towards spread of Indian goods. The more perfectly we
maintain our diverse culture the more socially Aatmanirbhar we become. Without forcefully
adopting what’s there in others culture we must devote that time to develop what’s our own.
It may seem a total foolery to discard the readymade success and try discovering something