On August 15, 1947, two nations took birth – India and Pakistan. While India chose the path of secularism and development despite being a Hindu majority country, Pakistan chose the path of religious identity. Since then both countries have been on two parallel tracks, meeting only to fight.
Partition shook the very foundation of free India, which came into being after years of sacrifice by our countrymen. The challenges in front of our founding fathers were galore. Soon after independence, the biggest challenge was to rehabilitate the lakhs of refugees who came from Pakistan. Just when the country was settling down, Pakistan invaded Kashmir and a first war broke out between the two countries in 1948. Mahatma Gandhi was assassinated.
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Moving ahead, insurgency took birth in Nagaland, Chinese invaded India and inflicted humiliating defeat, then again Pakistan invaded India in 1965, Naxalism took shape in the 1970s from Naxalbari in West Bengal as a revolt of peasants against oppression and exploitation which continues to bleed India. Emergency became the darkest chapter in the history of independent India and gradually we saw the advent of criminalisation and communalisation of politics.
Punjab militancy, Khalistan movement, Kashmir militancy, rise of fundamentalism in the country, multi-crore scams, assassinations of top leaders, lack of infrastructure development in social spheres like education, health and sanitation, outbreak of epidemics and pandemics have been hurting our progress.
But despite these tremors, India has ensured that it doesn’t lose its sight on independence from dependency on the West for its basic requirements. Indian political leadership led by Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru had very soon realised that India needed a strong foundation to make it self sufficient. This policy was taken forward by the following leadership.
The key decision was to encourage scientific temper in the country, which was known to the West as land of Black Magic and snake charmers. Thus started the journey of modernisation through inception of research-based institutions over the years like the IITs, IIMs, ISRO, AIIMS, C-DAC, TIFR, CSIR labs, ICMR labs and numerous other universities took shape in the country that helped in strengthening the education and research base in the country.
It is due to these initiatives that India today has become a strong economy and its youth are making their name across the world with their path-breaking research. India is today exporting life-saving medicines, food grains, weapons and striking deals with global powers for its benefit on its own terms because of these initiatives. We have produced Nobel laureates, doctors, scientists, engineers and teachers who are role models for many across the globe. Our software industry has given the country a strong footing in the global market.
This has not happened overnight. It was possible due to the foresight of our leadership and the efforts of our people who are determined to move out of the shadows of poverty and deprivation.
Today the current leadership is giving much more emphasis on indigenisation and being ‘atma nirbhar’. It is the continuation of the policies of previous leaders who have ensured that India continues to move forward.
Surely there are numerous hurdles to cross. Poverty, impoverishment, casteism, communalism, rising inflation, burgeoning population, stifling free-speech, and corruption collectively pose a threat to our growth story.
These hurdles notwithstanding, the common Indian can and will continue to march forward due to the strong self-belief, determination and a strong foundation.
The time for India’s growth story has arrived. No politician worth his salt can disrupt this growth story through vindictive politics. India has sustained many challenges in the last 75 years and has overcome them successfully to be hailed as an emerging superpower. When India gained its freedom, nobody gave us a chance. Our erstwhile imperialists had declared that India would disintegrate within a few years.
But we have proved them wrong. Every time we have fallen, we have stood up and have risen like Phoenix. We will continue to do so.
