A Patriotic Journey: Preparing for Independence Day (Jashne Azadi)

As the month of August began, my children have been persistently asking for just one thing: 'Take us to buy things for Jashne Azadi (Independence Day celebrations).

This enthusiasm is found in almost every Pakistani child, and I'm sure you'll agree. In Pakistan, Jashne Azadi is celebrated on 14 th August with great fervor, similar to Eid celebrations. Everywhere, in streets, neighborhoods, and markets, stalls are set up, displaying various items in green and white, the national colors. People buy these items with great enthusiasm.

And today, I thought, why not fulfill the children's wish, as only two days are left now. And the stalls are usually very crowded, but since the weather is rainy, it seemed like a good opportunity. So, I took the kids to a stall in the local market that had a wide variety of Independence Day items. There were small and large Pakistani flags, green and white dresses for kids aged 1 to 12, caps, glasses, and badges with the Pakistani flag printed on them. And for girls, there were bangles, earrings, hair clips, and everything else that kids love to wear on Eid was designed in white and green for Jashne Azadi.

And some people also like to get flag paintings or similar designs painted on their skin. So, for them, a small screen printing frame was also available, which had flags, Minare Pakistan, and many other similar pictures that could be printed on the skin with color. And along with that, green and white colors and brushes were also available.

I remember from my childhood that people used to hoist a Pakistani flag on their rooftops and decorate their homes with small flags. But now, many different types of things and trends have become popular. Among them, there's a wissal ( Baaja) that kids play all day long. I don't know what joy they get from it, but I do know that it's a very annoying trend. Because all it does is create noise.

My children also insisted on buying that loudspeaker, but I explained to them that we shouldn't do things that might give us a little happiness but cause trouble for others. Anyway, my kids were very happy to get the Independence Day items, and you can gauge their excitement from the animations I made by compiling some pictures.

I hope you like them. Now, just two days left until August 14th, I'll share the Independence Day celebrations with you. Until then, goodbye.

Stay safe, Happy, and Blessed!

With Love 💕 @rashid001