INDIA AT 74
Decoding the largest democracy in the world
“LONG YEARS ago, we made a tryst with destiny, and now the time comes when we shall redeem our pledge, not wholly or in full measure, but very substantially. At the stroke of the midnight hour, when the world sleeps, India will awake to life and freedom.” With these sagacious words, in his world-famous Tryst with Destiny speech, India’s first prime minister, Jawaharlal Nehru, exactly 73 years ago, ushered in India as an independent country on August 15, 1947.
At the time of Independence, there were sceptics who believed that India would not be able to sustain itself as a nation, owing to the diversity of beliefs, faiths, cultures, and languages. Not only has
India survived, it has also thrived as the largest democracy in the world. The
Indian Constitution cast India as a liberal democracy with a federal set-up where provinces have been granted considerable powers. A robust system of checks and balances also exists in the form of fundamental rights for citizens, protections for minorities and socially disadvantaged groups, and relative autonomy for historically and culturally distinct regions in an effort to preserve their distinct culture. All of this is safeguarded by an independent judiciary and monitored by a free press.
In all of India’s 17 general elections and numerous provincial and local-body elections, the transfer of power has been smooth. There were about 911 million eligible voters for the 2019 General Election and a whopping 67 per cent cast their vote in the 39-day exercise. The recent emphasis on transparency and accountability through laws like the Right to Information Act, a focus on the upliftment of socially disadvantaged classes, and a move towards the decentralisation of power and cooperative federalism have all deepened the roots of democracy in India and have made it more inclusive. As Sunil Khilnani, professor of politics and director of the King’s College London India Institute, writes in his book, The
Idea of India, “The democratic idea has penetrated the Indian political imagination and democracy as a manner of seeing and acting upon the world is changing the relation of Indians to themselves.”
INDIA AND THE WORLD
Right from the start, India has based its foreign policy and relations with other countries on the basis of the five principles of co-existence: respect for the territorial and integral sovereignty of others, non-aggression, non-interference with the internal affairs of others, and recognition of the equality of others. India has retained its membership in the Commonwealth and has closely cooperated with the United Nations (UN) and UN organisations. India has all along stood for multilateralism, globalisation, equitable distribution of resources, and action against climate change. Even with social and economic problems at home, India has always reached out to other
countries in need. India’s development assistance today encompasses grants, aid, donation of medicines and other essentials, execution of developmental projects, and training slots for professionals in India. India is also one of the largest contributors of troops for UN peacekeeping operations.
Our Election Commission, with its immense experience in conducting free and fair elections, has been assisting many countries with their electoral process. On climate change, the International Solar Alliance (ISA), founded by India and France, has over 65 members now and is working towards the sharing of resources and technology among nations to usher in the solar revolution. India’s 28 million-strong diaspora worldwide has also created a niche for itself with its exemplary conduct and contribution to the country of their domicile. A prime example is the 75,000 Indian diaspora in Jamaica, where it has enriched the cultural and economic life with its integrative ability, hard work, and innovative mindset.
India is also the largest global supplier of quality medicines at the cheapest rates. The COVID19 pandemic has seen India donate medicines and other medical equipment to more than 150 countries as well as online training courses for the medical staff of countries. While combating the COVID-19 pandemic at home, India has stood out for its globalism during the ongoing pandemic. Since the COVID-19 crisis, the prime minister has spoken to more than 50 heads of state regarding cooperation, and India’s foreign minister has discussed a collective response to the COVID-19 crisis with over 75 of his counterparts from other countries, including Jamaica.
ECONOMIC TURNAROUND
The Indian economy, at US$ 3.2 trillion, has grown more than 100 times since Independence to become the fifth largest today in nominal terms and third largest in purchasing power parity terms. With the aim of becoming a US$5 trillion economy by 2025, India has undertaken wide-ranging reforms, including liberalising FDI rules, abolishing unnecessary bottlenecks, and slashing corporate taxes. These reforms have ensured increased competitiveness, enhanced transparency, expanded digitisation, greater innovation, and more policy stability. One can see the global optimism when India rises in key global business ratings or reaches record highs in FDI, literally, every year.
To give an idea of the massive scale of transformation underway in India, there are about half a billion active Internet users in India now while millions are coming online every month. India’s food-processing sector will be worth over half a trillion dollars by 2025, and the healthcare sector is growing at more than 22 per cent every year. India is also witnessing the largest infrastructure-creation drive in its history. Led by India’s youth, India’s start-ups and companies are undertaking cutting-edge research in frontier technologies of 5G, big data analytics, quantum computing, block-chain, Internet of things, medical technology, telemedicine, and diagnostics.
Today, there is global optimism towards India. This is because India offers a perfect combination of openness, opportunities, and options. In the words of Prime Minister Modi: “India celebrates openness in people and in governance. Open minds make open markets. Open markets lead to greater prosperity.” India’s approach to the future is a more human-centric one, placing the poor and vulnerable at the core and ‘Ease of Living’ is as important as ‘Ease of Business’. According to the UN, India has also pulled out a mind-boggling 271 million people out of poverty between 2004-05 and 2014-15.
In the 73 years as a free nation, India has had its shares of ups and downs. India is still trying to solve the problems of unemployment, pollution, inequitable development, gender inequality, corruption, and poverty like many other countries. But slowly and steadily, a pulsating, dynamic new India, whose faith in success is far greater than its fear of failure, has emerged – an India that has the capacity to listen to the feeblest voice and never to lose sight of its ancient ideals; a people who dare to explore the Moon and Mars; a country that perseveres to create a loving habitat for three of every four wild tigers on our planet because it is characteristic of Indianness to empathise with nature and with all living beings. The rise of India means a rise in opportunities with a nation that the world can trust and a rise in global integration with increasing openness.
Over a hundred years ago, the inspirational Indian poet Subramania Bharati gave voice to our freedom movement and its expansive goals in the following lines in Tamil, which have been translated into English:
“We will learn both scripture and science
We will explore both heavens and oceans
We will unravel the mysteries of the moon
And we will sweep our streets clean too.”
Prathit Misra is a second secretary at the High Commission of India in Jamaica, Kingston. Send feedback to cons.kingston@ mea.gov.in.