India, Aug. 15 -- A few days before Independence Day, I asked my daughter and her friends, all aged 13 or 14: What does freedom mean to you?

I told them they didn't have to answer right away. They could sleep on it and text me their responses. The answers started to arrive on WhatsApp, and were a bit of a punch to the gut.

"freedom to me would be being able to dye my hair, get alotttt of piercings, being able to travel the world and being able to go out without the fear of a man kidnapping me," my daughter wrote.

Nadia, her friend, also wanted "freedom to live in this country without fear." Avantika wanted "the freedom to say ur opinions without being judged".

Oishani wrote: "I wish there was freedom of not being discriminated (agains...