The August 15th, 2021, celebrations marked a key milestone for India. Reeling from a distressing surge of Covid-19 and potentially looking at a third wave, the country celebrated its 75th year of Independence with cautious pride.
After the events that have unfolded, it becomes easy to look back with anger at what we have not accomplished. But isn’t it time we also glance back with wonder and amazement at what we have realized?
It’s been seven and a half decades since India became a free nation. At that time, the world was a different place. India was a different place. Unlike the developed nations with their industrial prowess and post-WWII economies that were rearing to go, we had a country that had remained in the shadows for far too long. We had been broken, divided and left with just our grit and determination. Yet today, we have grown from strength to strength as a vibrant and thriving parliamentary democracy.
An evolving journey
There is a lot more to our diverse country than what immediately meets the eye. An infusion of rich heritage, rearing competitiveness, and sparkling creativity have fueled stratospheric innovation and growth. The nation is constantly moving forward, achieving one breakthrough after another. Much like building a house, the first 50 years felt like laying the foundation. The 25 years since has seen brick after brick being laid to form the India of today.
Since liberalisation and the years that followed, the public and the private sectors have strengthened the country’s very essence. India’s standing in the international arena since then has steadily increased. In recent years, a string of measures to boost investment, along with a series of banking reforms and the ‘Make in India’ drive, has encouraged foreign direct investment inflow, with India registering its highest ever overseas investment of $81.72 billion during the financial year 2020-21. The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development has tagged India as the fastest growing economy globally, despite most markets slowing down due to the pandemic.
In the changing international landscape, India has firmly established its grounds in industrial expertise and healthcare. We are already one of the world’s significant exporters in pharmaceuticals, minerals and grains. Now with the government’s new initiative ‘Atmanirbhar Bharat’ (Self-Sustaining India), we are laying the groundwork to transform the country into a major hi-tech manufacturing hub.
2021 also saw an exhilarating performance in the worldwide sporting arena. Cricket is always a favourite, but seeing the exemplary performances in athletics and even in women’s hockey only strengthened the national pride. These victories did not come overnight, but it shows that we are moving in the right direction. When it comes to bilateral relationships, a quote by our former prime minister, Manmohan Singh, best describes our policy – India has proven to be a “bridge between the many extremes of the world.”
That’s only scratching the surface. The image and prominence of our nation are on the rise in a range of sectors —from financial, academic, defence, sports, science to IT and space technology,
among others. We have challenged norms, overcome hurdles and created new standards to aspire to.
Paving the way forward
But, the next 25 years are crucial. We’ve achieved much, and now it’s time to expand our vision – both economically and socially. It’s time we empower women and lay the framework for gender equality. We have already taken the first steps to revamp our education system. But now we need to invest effort into nurturing the new generation to take this country forward. Their aspirations combined with innovativeness, flair and talent is what is going to set us apart and ensure that we emerge as one of the world’s economic and social powerhouses
When Pt. Jawaharlal Nehru said, “The achievement we celebrate today is but a step, an opening of opportunity, to the greater triumphs and achievements that await us,” he wanted India to resiliently move forward and rise gloriously. Our progress is a testament to that vision.
That’s why our past is so important to me; so that we can see where we have come from. How else will we know where we have reached?
