a-republic-of-enduring-paradoxes

As India enters its 78th year of independence, it is time not just to celebrate but also to introspect candidly on the journey so far, reflect on the challenges ahead and address the impediments that are holding back the country from realising its full potential. 

 

From navigating social tensions triggered by the partition and laying the foundation for nation-building in the initial days of the independence to shedding the stifling ‘Licence-Permit’ Raj more than four decades later to boost industrial development and innovation, it has been a long and arduous journey.

 

There is no doubt that India has made significant strides in several sectors, but a hard look at the social realities on the ground reveals a gloomy picture; a scenario that leaves a sense of despondency. For a vast majority of Indians, there is still no freedom from discrimination, inequality, exploitation, and atrocities. 

 

The country’s achievements have been modest while challenges are mammoth. Widening of the rich-poor divide, growing unemployment, soaring prices and inflation, simmering communal tensions, eroding autonomy of constitutional bodies and undermining of the federal spirit are among the big challenges.

 

The merchants of hatred, emboldened by the ecosystem of majoritarianism, are having a field day in some states. Glaring attempts are being made to tamper with institutional independence. The federal spirit is sought to be undermined with the rights of the states being diluted, making a mockery of the oft-repeated “Team India” mantra.

 

In the immediate neighbourhood, India is virtually left with no friends. The border dispute with China continues to rage while relations with other neighbours are going from bad to worse.

 

India presents a picture of paradoxes; a country where several centuries co-exist. A Bentley and a buffalo can be found on the same road. Grotesque displays of wealth and starvation deaths occur side by side. A growing number of billionaires hog as much media limelight as the serpentine queues of post-graduate aspirants for peon’s job in a government office. The country’s richest 10% controls 80% of the nation’s wealth, according to Oxfam. On one hand, the country is planning a manned mission to space while on the other the instances of Dalit women being paraded naked and the farm labourers being beaten to death prick the nation’s conscience.

 

The Independence Day festivities, often mixed with jingoistic overtones and boastful claims, sound hollow in the face of the widening social gulf and growing atrocities against Dalits and other underprivileged sections of society.

 

Though economic liberalisation has thrown up new possibilities for the economic empowerment of Dalits, it does not automatically translate into social acceptance as rigid social structures continue to stifle their growth. On the positive side, India remains a resilient democracy, despite certain inadequacies, and a growing economic power. At a time when the countries in the region have either slipped into autocracy and military dictatorship or are in the grip of anarchy, Indians can feel justifiably proud of their thriving democracy and secular constitution.

 

On the positive side, India’s nearly $3 trillion economy is now the world’s fifth largest and among its fastest growing. The World Bank has promoted India from low-income to middle-income status – a bracket that denotes a gross national income per capita of between $1,036 and $12,535. But despite the nation’s surging wealth, poverty remains a daily reality for millions of Indians and significant challenges remain for a diverse and growing nation of disparate regions, languages, and faiths.

 

Since independence, literacy rates have increased to 74% for men and 65% for women and the average life expectancy is now 70 years. And the Indian diaspora has spread far and wide, studying at international universities and occupying senior roles in some of the world’s biggest tech companies, including Google chief executive Sundar Pichai and Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella.

 

Much of this transformation was prompted by the groundbreaking reforms of the 1990s, when the then Prime Minister PV Narasimha Rao and his Finance Minister Manmohan Singh opened the country to foreign investment after an acute debt crisis and soaring inflation forced a rethink of socialist Nehru’s model of protectionism and state intervention.

 

India confronted numerous challenges post-independence, including economic instability, social divisions, and political turmoil. The foremost challenge was rebuilding a war-torn economy left behind by British colonial rule. The integration of over 500 princely states into the newly formed Indian Union required deft diplomatic and administrative efforts.

 

India faced political instability due to regionalism, linguistic differences, and the partition’s legacy. The adoption of a democratic system, with periodic elections and a federal structure, helped to manage diverse interests and maintain political stability.

 

India's global positioning has evolved over decades and it has become a significant player in international affairs. Adopting a fairly independent foreign policy, it has deepened its partnerships with various countries, including those in Southeast Asia, Africa, and the Middle East, to promote economic and strategic interests.