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“Here is the Declaration of Independence as it originally appeared in the Pennsylvania Packet in its issue of Monday, July 8, 1776. This facsimile of a portion of The Packet is from a reprint of the original by J.V. Vondersmith of Philadelphia on the centennial observance of the Declaration in 1876.” Click here for text only version.
In the 1960s when I was studying the freedom struggles and Constitutions of various countries in my college, among the documents that fascinated me was the American Declarartion of Independence.
Now when I hear so many loud and jarring voices that claim to represent the true American spirit, I am tempted to read the document once again and share it with others who may like to go through this.
“Church bells rang out over Philadelphia on July 4, 1776….signalling that the Declaration of Independence was approved and officially adopted by the Continental Congress.
“A month earlier Congress had appointed a Committee of Five to draft a statement to the world presenting the colonies’ case for independence. After minor alterations were subsequently made by Franklin and Adams, the document was submitted to Congress.
“Two passages in Jefferson’s draft were rejected by the Congress— an intemperate reference to the English people and a scathing denunciation of the slave trade. Otherwise, the Declaration was adopted without significant change…..and through it all, Jefferson was its primary author.
“The Declaration of Independence made Jefferson internationally famous. Years later, when John Adams complained that the Declaration’s ideas were “hackneyed,” Jefferson agreed. He wrote: “Neither aiming at originality of principle or sentiment, nor yet copied from any particular and previous writing, it was intended to be an expression of the American mind.”
Swaraaj Chauhan describes his two-decade-long stint as a full-time journalist as eventful, purposeful, and full of joy and excitement. In 1993 he could foresee a different work culture appearing on the horizon, and decided to devote full time to teaching journalism (also, partly, with a desire to give back to the community from where he had enriched himself so much.)
Alongside, he worked for about a year in 1993 for the US State Department’s SPAN magazine, a nearly five-decade-old art and culture monthly magazine promoting US-India relations. It gave him an excellent opportunity to learn about things American, plus the pleasure of playing tennis in the lavish American embassy compound in the heart of New Delhi.
In !995 he joined WWF-India as a full-time media and environment education consultant and worked there for five years travelling a great deal, including to Husum in Germany as a part of the international team to formulate WWF’s Eco-tourism policy.
He taught journalism to honors students in a college affiliated to the University of Delhi, as also at the prestigious Indian Institute of Mass Communication where he lectured on “Development Journalism” to mid-career journalists/Information officers from the SAARC, African, East European and Latin American countries, for eight years.
In 2004 the BBC World Service Trust (BBC WST) selected him as a Trainer/Mentor for India under a European Union project. In 2008/09 He completed another European Union-funded project for the BBC WST related to Disaster Management and media coverage in two eastern States in India — West Bengal and Orissa.
Last year, he spent a couple of months in Australia and enjoyed trekking, and also taught for a while at the University of South Australia.
Recently, he was appointed as a Member of the Board of Studies at Chitkara University in Chandigarh, a beautiful city in North India designed by the famous Swiss/French architect Le Corbusier. He also teaches undergraduate and postgraduate students there.
He loves trekking, especially in the hills, and never misses an opportunity to play a game of tennis. The Western and Indian classical music are always within his reach for instant relaxation.
And last, but not least, is his firm belief in the power of the positive thought to heal oneself and others.