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When we set out to celebrate our first anniversary, we were reluctant to choose another destination in India. After all, what extraordinary one could find in a country one has explored since birth! However, as we were not willing to spend too much and we were not having too much time at hand, we went ahead with Andaman Islands. We reached the airport of Port Blair early morning of Sunday, 26th January. Incidentally, it was also Republic Day of India. It is the day when Constitution of India was adopted in 1950. We never knew that it would make sense for us in 2020. Firstly, we went to Ross Island in a ferry. The island has remains of British architecture from the era before independence. However, it got renamed as 'Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose Island' only in December 2018, decades after independence. The island is beautiful with an unaltered beach and a friendly wildlife. But, as we strode through its terrain, we wondered how beautiful it is that we could trod on this island, perhaps unimaginable years ago. In the evening, we queued up to see 'light and sound show' of Cellular Jail after having seen the jail in broad daylight some hours earlier. Both our trips to this jail awakened me to the sacrifices for independence that we take for granted every day. Then, we decided to try local street food. As we were taking a stroll towards a food truck, we saw a flag of India hoisted high into sky. It was also surrounded by sparkling lights. We moved towards it to explore the area. There was a marbled pathway to the flag, embellished by pillars reading “Jai Hind”. We could read the inscription “First flag hoisted in 1943” as we reached where the flag was hoisted. It gave me goosebumps to be standing at such a historical place. Next morning, we took a ferry to Havelock Island. And we thought white sand and green water was reserved for opulent beaches of Maldives! We were met by mesmerizing natural beauty in this island. We opted to watch the sunset at Radhanagar beach, considered as one of the top beaches of Asia. Our romantic walk was interrupted by a giant ship approaching the shore. We went close to the ship to have a look. The mouth of the ship opened, and a group of soldiers came out, followed by tanks. We witnessed a training session of navy of India, with sun sinking slowly into water in the background. Also, in our commute, we met people who migrated to this island to take control of property disturbed by Government of India to help populate this island after independence. Their loyalty to nation made us question ourselves. Why not we feel the same level of indebt. We are as able, if not more, to live freely and happily only because we were given an ecosystem to flourish. Thereafter, we moved to Neil Island by yet another ferry. It boasts of excellent aquatic life and adventurous water sports. While we sat down listening to waves at our resort, I introspected about the freedom I have felt in these Islands in last few days. On these Islands, there is unexplored beauty of nature. However, there is also a warm welcome extended by local people. They do not care from which part of India you came from, what language you speak, what food you like. They welcome everyone with an open mindset. For once, I felt the care of a unified nation at this hidden destination. Next day, as we flew back to our hometown, I felt a wave of patriotism inside me which had nothing to do with the parade we love to watch on every Republic day.