A Vision for our Nation

Come another AUGUST 15 and Indians at home and abroad are filled with an immense surge of patriotism as they celebrate another Independence Day. Plastic flags fluttering in cars, patriotic songs blaring from speakers and status messages and nicknames changed to reflect patriotic fervor; the changes are difficult to ignore. But as the day passes and things ease down one observes that little has actually changed. At this juncture I believe it will do us much good to view in retrospect where we stand as a nation today after 61 years of independence.

Our independence as a modern nation began on the 15th of August in the year 1947.Free from nearly one and a half centuries of imperial hegemony our motherland stood with head held high and bright hopes for a glorious future. Clothed in magnificent robes and decked in jewels bought with the blood and tears and sweat of our great freedom fighters but marred with the gash of communalism that had already raised its head, our pioneering fathers led by towering personalities like Jawaharlal Nehru and Sardar Vallabhai Patel pledged themselves to the building of a modern and self sufficient nation. Today 61 years hence hindsight on what we have achieved and how far down the path of progress we have travelled is called for.

One of the most heartening features with relation to the history of independent India is the fact that we as a nation have kept the flame of democracy alive in the face of many adversities. This is indeed something to be proud about. It is very common these days to compare and contrast the progress we have made with that achieved by China in the same period of about 60 years. But what one forgets is the sacrifices in terms of fundamental rights and freedom that the common Chinese man has had to make for the sake of that progress. How heavy is the price of progress that demands the uprooting of entire homesteads and the shifting of thousands of people and destroying of thousands of acres of forests for the construction of dams and industries? And any voice raised in protest is quelled. What value is there in progress if the nation sees naught in crushing the voices and spirit of its youth under the cold steel of battle tanks? What one must remember is that the nation is created for the sake of the people and not vice versa. A nation has its existence only through its people and hence the suppressing of their rights does not augur well for it. Thus the adherence to democracy as a cornerstone for our political process is something I take great pride in and the maintenance of it in all its beauty and power is an important political vision that I hold for our motherland. Having talked about its maintenance I would also emphasize that it is not something that allows us to be complacent. While it does exist, democracy as our nation practices it is far from perfect and making the democratic system more effective and efficient as a political system is a task that needs dedicated effort if our nation is to progress in the future.

Shifting from the political to the economic front, we see a slightly different scenario. While our founding fathers showed immense wisdom in deciding in favour of a democratic system the socialistic system to which they bound our nation’s economy was perhaps not the best choice. It is true that the socialistic setup initially allowed our nation to develop heavy industries and form a backbone for our future development, but our persistence with the socialistic model caused us to lose focus and squander our strong start. This is because the continuing success of a state run enterprise is dependent on the capacity of the sate to coerce workers to make sacrifices for the sake of profits. That this would not work in a democratic welfare state was clear and the fact that we took so much time to delink our industries from govt. control has cost us dear. However it is no use to cry over spilt milk. We have lost our impetus in primary industries. I believe that our attempt now should be directed to achieving a dominant international position in emerging technologies and processes rather than try to catch up in basic industries. While maintaining our growth and fundamental robustness in large if not profitable heavy industries we must strive to cover the income deficit through avenues like nanotechnology and genetic engineering. It is fortunate that providence at this moment in history has given us a chance to take pioneering strides in these fields. Our progress in high technology sectors like space and missile technology should be a guiding light for us. The scientific acumen of our intelligentsia has a proven track record in terms of high technology. Visionary steps need to be taken to tap this immense potential and develop such cutting edge technologies. Thus my vision for India in the economic sector envisages a pioneering position in emerging technologies on the basis of which we can emerge as a world leader of the future.

The above essay thus summarizes my politico-economic vision for our motherland on her 61st Birthday. This vision calls for dedicated effort on the parts of us as citizens of this great land to realize it. We should be willing to make short term sacrifices for the sake of long term gains while ensuring that their benefits seep down to all levels of the society. It is by ensuring such equable distribution of benefits and advantages of progress that socialism can be achieved in our nation in the true sense that our founding fathers intended it. Misguided steps have already lead us astray at points in our short history as an independent nation. It is often said that India is 50 years young and 5000 years old. This is true in more senses than one and the rich pages of our history as a nation held together by common convictions and the common sense of nationalism that can be traced back to the vary dawn of our history when the peoples of Jambudveepa where held to have a common ancestry and destiny are proof for it. We should learn the lessons that this history teaches us to ensure that we will never again repeat the mistakes of our past. Thus a a vibrant India having an efficient and democratic political system, leading the world in the technological innovations of the future and ensuring social justice and equality of advantage and opportunity to all is my vision for our Motherland India on her 61st independence day.