Freedom is the power to dream: Priyanka Chopra

As a young Indian achiever, I'm free in my mind to do what I want to do and be who I want to be. And that's the value of democracy for me. The system may not be perfect yet. But young Indians have the opportunity and freedom to be who they want to be, and that's a very big thing.

I know that promises have not been kept, there are a lot of things that need to be improved but then we are living in one of the world's biggest democracies, and the freedom to express our views is a wonderful gift for us. I don't think that young Indians should be bogged down in cynicism—ours is a youth-driven nation.

I was born in a small town in Jharkhand and yet I have reached great heights in my career, when I'm just in my 20s. For this, I also have my parents to thank. They allowed me to do what I wanted to do and become the person who I am today. I'm proud of the fact that my parents taught me the value and importance of education and of being self-made. They also gave me the power to dream and be free—and I hope every Indian parent can do that.

So my Independence Day message is being free in the mind. In many Indian families—not just lower income families but often even affluent ones—the education of the girl child takes a back seat. In the poor families, either it's the brother's education or early marriage that deprives girls of the right to education. In affluent and educated homes, too, girls have to be married off into rich families and, hence, their studies take a back seat.

And that's why I have become a champion for the rights of children, especially girls, in India and around the world. I want to make a difference to the lives of young people in this country which has a huge young population. I feel I can make a difference as a role model for them and help them in understanding the real value of freedom and making a difference in their lives.

I have been working with Unicef for some years now on issues related to adolescents. I didn't want to go public about my charitable work before this. But now I feel that as Unicef's national ambassador for promoting child rights, I can use my 'celebrity status' to spread more awareness on this cause.

On the work front, I am a multi-tasker and am passionate about everything that I do. I'm very active on social networking and on my blog—that too is part of the multitasking. As far as my career is concerned, I am always pushing the envelope and have done different genres of films with various directors and co-actors. I am not scared of reinventing myself all the time as an actor. For me, that is very liberating. I love what I do and I do it with passion.

As a strong message on Independence Day, I'd like to tell all Indian families to let their girls explore and achieve their potential.