India@70: Pessimists, take a walk
Think about it, where did the United States stand 70 years after its independence? The slave system was prevalent. No woman has become an American president till date, but India can proudly say that everybody from a Dalit President to a woman PM is a possibility in our democracy. This has been possible because once Indians have taken a step they’ve not retreated. For instance, at the time of Independence, we didn’t have a Constitution. The Constitution that was written with Dr Bhimrao Ambedkar’s initiative is revered even today. By amending the Constitution time and again, we have indicated to the world that Indians know how to keep in step with changing times. Statistics show this clearly. In 1951, at the time of the first population Census, just 18% of Indians were literate. By the time of the 2011 Census, our literacy had crossed the 74% mark. Similarly life expectancy has risen from 32 years to 69 years in the same period. The country was declared poliofree in March, 2014.
While it is true that even today we see communal riots take place. Dalits and backwards face difficulties in joining the mainstream. We have great economic inequality and lots of people sustain themselves on the benevolence of nature and lack even the bare essentials. But this doesn’t mean that our Independence has become meaningless. At many points of time after Independence, we’ve encountered dark periods and thought that our steps were shaky. But getting up after falling down and resuming to walk is second nature to Indians. There can be a debate over the speed of our progress but not over the progress itself.
I would like to remind my pessimistic friends that the blows of time can smudge even the strongest of walls. We can notice some stains on the impenetrable wall of our democracy. But we’ve successfully been washing them off over the years and will continue to do so. These stains are essential. They give the nation opportunities for improvement and contemplation.