The whole world is going to write their version of this, so why not us? India is going to be 75 today, the flags are flying, the newspapers are pontificating, the news channels are screaming, the PM is giving measured sound bytes, the public is bemoaning the state of the nation; in short, everything is the way it always is, leave out war and pandemic years. So what new thing can possibly be said? Our take is to compare India now, with its earlier editions.
India at 25 was a really young country. The country was coming out of an era of perpetual shortages and unfortunately, also out of the hope and idealism of the initial years. However, the angst of the Indo- China debacle, had been wiped out by the successes of the Indo-Pak years. The economy was turning a corner, even though no one knew really what
it was doing. So were public health and life expectancy, despite the
fact that they were rarely mentioned in the public discourse. Indira Gandhi delivered a good IG-ish homily on the challenges yet to come, from the ramparts of the Red Fort. However, neither she, nor anyone else had any notion of the quicksands ahead. There was no foreshadowing of the internal turmoil, Khalistan, Kashmir and Northeast, which were to haunt the coming two decades. The celebrations were muted, though beautiful. Despite the progress, the country lacked confidence, both in itself and its future, despite its significant contribution to the leadership of developing countries.
India at 50 was a different cup of tea altogether. The Congress Party was a rump in parliament, as it is now. However, unlike now there was a rag, tag and bobtail coalition in power (our apologies to their admirers, if any). Inder Gujral was the unlikely PM, who presided over the lacklustre Golden Jubilee celebrations, despite midnight parliament and Lata Mangeshkar invocations. Socialist discourse still prevailed, and there was no questioning of public welfare programs. Punjab was back to being the backbone of India, Kashmir was an ever festering sore, and the ill advised and ill fated Sri Lankan misadventure was behind us. Religious divisiveness had reared its head via the Ram Mandir agenda, and the Babri Masjid had come down, to say nothing of the terrorist horrors of the coming years. However, the most important event of the 25 years was behind us. A terrible fiscal crisis had occurred, leading the way to forcing economic reforms, paradoxically getting the country out
of the Hindu rate of growth, and leading to serious economic
development.The plus part of this was a serious improvement of all indicators, the minus was the sense of hubris that always accompanies uneven economic development. As ever, no one really knew what lay ahead, but overall a better days ahead mentality pervaded the country.
So now we are back to 2022, and India is 75, no great age in the life of a nation. How are things now? The BJP is firmly entrenched in power. The Congress is as rumpish as it was 25 years ago. Public discourse is muted, religious divisions are stronger than they ever were before. The economy is recovering from natural and self made disasters. The recent epidemic has not taught us that to a virus, all humans are the same. The inequitable distribution of wealth has got worse, but the impoverished have opportunities to improve their lot which did not exist before. Unfortunately, this has led to pressure to minimise all welfare programs which could improve the lot of the majority of people. Here, we have to be thankful to the electoral pressures which will prevent the removal of such programs altogether. Judicial freedoms lack this natural protection and are steadily eroding, with the tacit and explicit consent of the bulk of the population. Who knows what lies ahead? No one, if past experience is any predictor of future events. However, there are two things that makes us optimistic. Federalism has made its come back, quietly, through the back door. The plurality of the nation will be its saving grace, no matter what challenges monolithic structures throw at it. Secondly, India is a young country, but Mother India is an old soul. We will get by, come what may.
Happy Independence day to all from us.
Jai Hind.
This blog post is by Neelima Gupte and Sumathi Rao.
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