Fine at 69? – The True Vision Of Freedom

Congratulations, we are 68! Best Wishes to all readers on the 69th Independence Day Celebrations. Every year, this day obviously does not go without me brooding over everything related to India’s Independence. Right from the freedom struggle of our ancestors to the way the meaning of patriotism has changed over the years. It is also an annual ritual to put my thoughts on to paper by writing a piece or two on my blog. This year, before I make my views known, I sought out thoughts from others about what independence or freedom means to them. We celebrated Independence Day in our office and I asked my team at work two questions:

What does Freedom mean to you?
How do you see freedom playing a part in our company, DimenZion3 and its success?

I got some interesting responses from a few of my team members. Nikhil Ashodiya, who takes care of MIS in our firm looks at Freedom as an opportunity to ideate and share thoughts openly with others, without being judged. The right to choose one’s own path in life is an important aspect of freedom for Nikhil. He feels that Freedom is a right that every employee should enjoy at work. This right gives an opportunity to make appropriate business decisions by sharing ideas!

I wander in my thoughts as I am set free, and miracles happen for everyone to see” – Pramod Jain.

Pramod manages the Client Service Operations team at DimenZion3. Pramod says that freedom allows the creator to think beyond the boundaries and brings out the creative genius in the person. He says freedom is everything to him. “Give me more and I will continue to amaze you”, is his mantra!

Pramod says, “At Dimenzion3, we focus on equipping our people with freedom. We often hear our leaders saying – ‘Go ahead, you are free to talk’ or ‘don’t worry, be assertive.’ These aren’t mere statements; they add so much power to our day! I feel happy to be a part of the team that encourages me and gives me a free will. Open door policy is an old age thinking, we at Dimenzion3 have an open heart policy. Come speak your heart out, we are all ears. Well, success will come to us at Dimenzion3 owing to all the great work that we do, but Freedom is something that binds us together..!”

Hema feels that freedom is the ability to pursue one’s own ideas and not live a life determined by the whims and fancies of others. It is about surrendering to one’s own self and not to others’ expectations. According to her, people in DimenZion3 should be able to choose what they want to do and how they want to grow in their career. We at DimenZion3 expect people to be proactive, come forward and share their career aspirations openly and use such opportunities to further their growth.

Jasbir Kaur and Hemant Jadhav execute client operations at our client sites. Both of them say that “Freedom is to be able to express anything without fear – the fear of being judged, the fear of repercussions” Freedom to Hemant is defined by the norms of ethical, legal and moral standards of society. In a work environment, Freedom of expression is primary to him. He feels that this freedom to discuss ideas and opinions provides a common and safe opportunity to employees to support in the growth of DimenZion3. Jasbir on the other hand enjoys the authority to make decisions at client site without being highly dependent on formal approvals, which DimenZion3 provides to her in abundance.

I couldn’t agree more on all these thoughts. We have a fabulous team focused on taking our company to the next level. We have our shortcomings and have the freedom to discuss these shortcomings openly. Freedom and empowerment are the key ingredients of the workwe do at DimenZion3.

My perspective to freedom is that it is always there, available to each one of us. Nobody can take away your freedom without your permission. Our ability to use the freedom at our disposal in a sensible way without causing damage to others is what defines independence to me.

In a work environment, freedom is when:

Someone is able to share their perspectives openly without being judged
One is able to provide feedback to superiors without fear of negative repercussions
People are able to execute their ideas without restrictions or strings attached
Managers and employers provide the space to employees to take risks and create magic out of it

India has come a long way. But it’s still a longer way when the true essence of freedom will be experienced by every citizen of the country. We, as a country have taken giant strides in some aspects but are still regressive in many other areas. I have my own, optimistic vision of an Independent India. I see an India in which:

Every citizen enjoys equal opportunities. A country in which Doctors, Policemen and Public Servants are created not by virtue of caste based reservations but pure merit
Every child gets to pursue a career of choice than the burden of obliging to live their parents’ dreams
The Government is able to implement development measures without having to be stalled in Parliament by the Opposition
Politics and Business are governed by merit than by nepotism
Women are able to walk on the streets at any time of the day or night without the fear of being hounded by carnal desperados
People are able to live peacefully in any part of the country without being discriminated on the lines of religion or caste

We are fine at 69 but are we there yet? Not fully. Will we ever reach there? Very soon, hopefully! Once again, congratulations and Best Wishes on the 69th Independence Day!