India after Independence

To quote Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, the first Prime Minister, India’s independence was a tryst with destiny. It has been sixty two years since we redeemed that pledge. It was the end of a thousand years of slavery. Today, India is the world’s largest democracy, with the largest number of registered voters. There have been, as there are bound to be, many successes and many more failures too, in this six-decade-long journey. If we look back and question ourselves about them now, I think the most remarkable success is the retention of the democratic character, except for a short dark break during the two-and-a-half year period of emergency in the late seventies. This is no small success, considering that our march began at the point of a very backward economy, gross poverty, total illiteracy, disease and widespread social inequalities. It was a long road to freedom, but it was a much, much longer road to be traveled after independence. Our second great success has been the preservation of India’s unity in spite of threats of terrorism within the country and from outside elements. We remained one not only as a territory, but also as a people, in spite of a large number of faiths, communities and languages. In economy we made rapid strides in agriculture as well as in industry. In the present day’s world, after China, India is the only country that is expected to have the capacity to become a Super Power in the days to come.

There have been failures of course. The recent incidence of suicides of farmers presents a dark picture. The differences between states over such issues as the distribution of water resources are also alarming. The increasing gap between the rich and the poor is not at all a good sign. Corruption by public servants and politicians is a very big black spot. There is a lot of frustration in different sections of people.

Having said all this, I still believe, our hope and confidence in the future of the country and its people are justified. I know there are many who are full of criticism and resentment, I know there is inefficiency, corruption and hypocrisy, too much of them, but I am still optimistic that India has a long way to go. When you just see how much there is on the credit side, don’t you agree, that it’s a thrilling experience to be a part of a nation, that is trying, at its best, against odds, to reshape itself?

Jai Hind!