For millennials, Independence Day is not just a day on which people wave flags and sing Pakistani songs and decorate houses with green and white.
For them, August 14 has become a day of nostalgia, where people reminisce about the past, and begin to ponder the meaning of independence for a generation that has seen Pakistan transform so much.
Millennials were born between the early 1980s and the mid-1990s, in a Pakistan unlike that of their parents.
Their childhoods were shaped by what they saw on TV, school ceremonies, and national songs and stories passed on from their parents and grandparents regarding partition.
These family narratives were not just a source of celebration for many millennials but these stories also defined the meaning of independence for them.
“I remember my mother telling me stories, of how they arrived in Pakistan from India with a vision of independence. Girls were raped, men and boys were killed for being Muslims. But despite leaving their wealth and property behind they looked forward to living in a separate homeland”, Naila, a housewife, commented while talking to Pakistan Connect.
Read more: Independence Day: Five Pakistanis making the nation proud
August 14 for millennials is a date that evokes images of school assemblies, national flags adorning classrooms and streets.
The patriotic songs on TV and radio, the green and white uniforms of children and the gathering of families to celebrate independence.
For those who were born in the 1980s and 1990s, it is especially nostalgic because television and radio were an integral part of popular culture during these years.
Independence Day Celebrations of that time were made emotive with the performances of patriotic songs by singers like Nayyara Noor, Pathanay Khan, Mehdi Hassan, Junaid Jamshed and Mohammad Ali Shaiki.
They performed their music on television and radio regularly and especially during national events.
The national anthem was also a part of the daily school life for an entire generation. In the morning assemblies, students would stand in groups together and sing the anthem, making the anthem one of the first experiences in collective national identity for students.
One young man, who was 29 years old, recalled that August 14 was a day he thought of his school days, “We used to spend days making preparations for the tableaux and decorating the classrooms; it was as if the entire school was involved in celebrating Pakistan.”
One hallmark of the millennial understanding of patriotism is its evolution over the years.
The political transition, economic pressures, technological advances and changing social structures of their childhood have made many of them feel that patriotism is a matter of duty as well as of national pride.
This was the view of Shabir, who said: “For me, loving Pakistan is not only a flag hanging for one day; it’s also what we can do to make it better for the next generation of Pakistanis.”
The generational change has led many millennials to think differently about their children.
Independence Day can be a time for parents to share stories, traditions and memories with their children, and for children to make their own connection to the nation.
Another millennial told us that he wanted his children to know “the significance of independence, and also to know what it means to be patriotic: to contribute in Pakistan and to make it a better place.”
For many millennials August 14 is not just a day to question Pakistan’s contribution to them.
It is also a reminder of the history of the nation, understanding the sacrifices made in the forging of the nation, and thinking about what they can do to contribute to the future.
Today, Independence Day continues to be a celebration of freedom and an expression of Pakistani identity on one hand, and on the other, it is a day of reflection, nostalgia and responsibility for a generation who are caught up between the past and the present of Pakistan.
Also read: Best public places to visit in Pakistan on Independence Day, August 14