Unsung Heroes

The tricolour waving defiantly,
It is the rebirth of a nation,
A few suddenly become national heroes,
And fading memories of some,
Flowers and laurels who never chose,
They were the true martyrs,
And this was their dream,
No trumpets blew for them,
No flowers showered over them,
But their efforts were not forgone,
And gave us the freedom, the much needed,
They nourished it with their blood,
And spent their lives in its wake,
I bow my head to them,
For they are the unsung heroes.

(Wrote in Lucknow, late 1996)