India @ 1 To India @ 75 To India @ 100

      In this post, let us look at few facts surrounding India celebrating its 75th Independence Day. It has been 75 years since India attained its Independence. It is a landmark moment of celebrating a diamond jubilee of Independent India. We celebrated golden jubilee or 50 years of Independence, 25 years back when I was in school. I still remember that year when there is an emphasis laid on 50 years of Independence. I particularly remember drawing a sketch on this theme with an emphasis on the golden jubilee, in 1997. The days in school are always good for this reason that they make you feel part of important milestones of the country and any other days of significance.

We are retracted from these moments after becoming adults and working in jobs which just give holidays on August 15th and January 26th. I don’t remember even hoisting a flag since a long time. Given the fact that I am working in U.S., it is neither a holiday nor I was part of anything which commemorated the 75-year milestone. But it is definitely an occasion to stand up, do something and feel part of the vibe such that after 25 years, I can look back and recollect the moments of the 75th year of Independence. It is glad that the Government conducted ‘Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav’ to commemorate 75 years since 12th March 2021, 75 weeks before August 15th, 2022. This is ongoing and those who missed the bus can take part in any form till next year August 15th, 2023.

As a kid, you can just take part in those competitions at school but as an adult you are bound by a duty towards the nation. We need to be tied together by the nation and the spirit of nationalism should flow in us to the hilt. This should be invoked in each one of the countrymen and enable us to re-dedicate towards the work of the nation. We need to sail the Indian ship to the greatest, glorious, grandiose shores it has never ever reached. It is the minimum and maximum we can do for the country and all the more important in this landmark year. A great thought, belief, notion, conception, view on India is important to conceive and further put it in action. Let us all conceive very highly about the nation and work in a way towards seeing it in reality.

To tell you a bit on my part, I served the nation with all my power, energy I can muster from myself, from fellow countrymen in the last five years and this is the kind of service the nation needs for the next many years. In the august of 2017, I just returned back to India and in August of 2022, I just left India before. The 5 years in between are 5 glorious years of service. When the energy, work of many men like me are synergized, it propels the nation towards a higher plane and catapults itself on the path of reaching its potential. It also puts on a higher plane among the nations on the international platform. Without losing the momentum, the nation needs to get the act together and reach the next milestone in years by meeting the higher milestone in progress, prosperity. I am joining the bandwagon of 75th year of Independence with this post and let me do a small comparison of the progress India achieved in these 75 years with the status-quo of 1947.

To understand the progress, we need to lean on the days when we just got independence in 1947. In 1750, India contributed 25% of the worlds Industrial output. It has been like that for the many centuries earlier as well. The data published shows that India is an economic giant for over two thousand years ranking number 1 in the list of nations with the highest share of world GDP. But for the next two hundred years, under the impression of foreign rule, India ended up contributing just 2% to worlds total. For the next 75 years, India recovered the lost ground and progressing well by being the 5th largest economy. How India used to be and how it ended up during foreign rule and how it evolved for 75 years post-independence is an example of ‘V’ shaped recovery. This simply tells India is on the right track and did extremely well in the last 75 years. While people jump to the relative comparison of nations with India in this day and age and get disappointed, India needs to compare with itself to know the real progress and ground covered. Yes, 75 years is a very little time to make this huge progress so quickly. It required tremendous work and India worked along quite impeccably. Let us make some more comparisons of India with itself in these 75 years to know the stark reality.

Know that India invested much of its energies and leadership for the first 50 years of twentieth century to gain freedom. It did not invest in any other area other than leading movements to attain freedom. The year 1947 is a sweet and bitter year. Sweet, because of freedom; bitter because there is widespread poverty, illiteracy, hunger, and all evils in the society rampant. Everything needs to be built from the scratch in a surrounding world which is extreme opposite with full of riches, development, education etc. The nation shivered like a leaf in a deadly cyclone after getting freedom. The challenges, struggles and problems are way too many. The time is too little. And yet, India travelled a brilliant journey in just 75 years.

For better understanding of this remarkable journey, take the case of the top nation -U.S.A. which got freed from British in 1776. America is where it is today after 244 years of freedom. America really dominated in the last 60 years and has more than 25% of worlds industrial output. For nearly 120 years till 1890, U.S. built the nation’s foundation for its future achievements and was seen nowhere. By 1890, the United States had overtaken the British Empire as the world's most productive economy. Leave 244 years, imagine what India can do in just 100-120 years of freedom from the current state after 75 years. On extrapolation of the present trajectory, India will create multiple new versions to better itself in no time and become one of the world’s largest economies in next few decades. It just shows the struggles, pains, tenacity, determination to defeat the struggles, pains, and challenges in the country in a very short span of time.

If not everything, let us compare in the areas of food, health, literacy, defense, industrialization between the two Indias. India did not have enough food to feed its 36-crore population after independence. India imported the food produce from Britain, Canada, Australia, Argentina, Soviet Union, U.S.A etc. for the first few decades. Even in 1974, after 25 years of Independence, the situation remained same – the nation cannot satiate the hunger of its population. But the efforts from many stalwarts during this time improved the deficit along with the advent of green revolution. From importing billions of dollars of produce, the nation made giant strides to become self-sufficient. Presently, Food Corporation of India (FCI) storage places are overflowing with food grain stocks and the Union government is unable to ensure remunerative price to the farmers for their produce. The nation ranks number one in the world in production of milk, varied pulses, spices, and number two in production of rice, wheat, sugarcane, and other farm cultivation. The transformation is full 180 degrees.

After independence in 1947, our nations life expectancy is just 32 years. With improved medical treatments and decreased death rates, it has reached to 70 years now. It simply tells the nation is able to survive its population better than ever for nearly 70 years. The mortality rate of newborn has reduced by 700%. The country has 50 thousand doctors at that time which has become 16 lakhs now. 725 PHCs has become 30 thousand. From incorporating BCG vaccine manufacturing laboratory in 1948 to producing covid vaccine last year, the country has developed many vaccines and given not just to its own people but everyone around the world. Today, 50% of worlds vaccines are supplied from India. India stands first in producing generic medicines and third in overall medicines. By virtue of these giant strides, life expectancy has increased multifold and death rates have reduced drastically. Simply, the health of people improved, and the transformation is once again 180 degrees.

The nation has a literacy rate of 12% at the time of independence. The nation which has renowned universities like Nalanda, Takshasila has long neglected education of its people under the foreign rule. Indians were confused between the mother tongue and foreign tongue which resulted in paltry rates of literacy. India continued its colonial impression of English education while preserving its native languages after independence. The approach lead to the establishment of eminent IITs, AIIMS, etc. in proliferation which turned the tables. While there are just 20 universities and 500 colleges back then, now there are more than 1000 universities and 50,000-degree colleges. The expansion lead to educated and enlightened India with literacy rate climbing to 78%. Today, a third of fortune 500 companies run under the leadership of Indians. These are the higher echelons reached by Indians by virtue of its tech, management education and the transformation is again 180 degrees.

At the time of partition, the nation has 2.6 lakh soldiers with a defense budget of 93 crores. Now, we are in second position in the world with 14.5 lakh soldiers and 4.78 lakh crore defense spending. The capabilities of Indian soldiers are rated fourth after U.S., China and Russia among a list of 136 countries. The world’s highest battlefield, Siachen Glacier is being guarded by Indian soldiers by virtue of its high-altitude war fare training. There are many eminent training institutes which provide best of the persons to guard the nation. The change in the numbers and landscape is once again a 180-degree transformation.

The known industrial revolution started in Europe in 18th century by virtue of cotton gin machine. But the similar one is in use in India since 5th century. Here and there, Indians made several developments but none to alter the socio-economic status of the country. By virtue of negligible industrialization and production, the nation has a budget of 171 crores in 1947. The timely reforms in this sector and economic reforms of 1990 paved development of industrialization in the country. The budget expanded in 2022 to nearly 40 lakh crores. From being nowhere to third position in PPP and fifth in GDP, India has come a long way in its march towards economic progress and industrialization. The budgetary provisions itself speak a glaring improvement in the federal structure and strength of India over a period of time and the transformation is again 180 degrees.

We just saw an overview of five areas where India turned its fortunes upside down in a matter of 75 years. This is the real progress card of India which gives 100 marks for its transformation. On the eve of 75 years of Indian Independence, we compared India with itself and India with U.S.A in a similar time frame of freedom. India@75 outdid both – first one with a huge margin and second one significantly. It just tells the giant strides made by the grand old country. Tell it with pride on the eve – the nation is ours; the nationalism is ours; the flying flag is ours and everything about India is ours.

I am a part of last 25 years of journey and seen the pains of everyone concerned in the making of the nation from close quarters. What holds for the next 25 or where would you like to see and make India@100. The idea that is India is itself very animating and exciting. India@100 should be making the nation number one in all aspects. Last week, the CM of Delhi launched a similar mission to make India number one by tackling five subjects – Free and good education to 25 crore school children, free quality healthcare, employment to every single youngster, adequate compensation for the farmers, ensure every woman gets respect, equality, and security. This can be a good starting point to think and act on this subject and see the unimaginable places India can go after 25 years.