We have turned 75 today as an independent nation. A story many in the West thought would never be written because with all its geographical incongruity, diversity and internal contradictions, India was predicted to fall apart. That India has survived – sometimes thriving, sometimes limping precariously around its many divisions – is a story that has no easy telling. How does one...
We have turned 75 today as an independent nation. A story many in the West thought would never be written because with all its geographical incongruity, diversity and internal contradictions, India was predicted to fall apart. That India has survived – sometimes thriving, sometimes limping precariously around its many divisions – is a story that has no easy telling.
How does one tell the story of a nation which is both among the fastest growing global economies and worst performers in the Human Development Index. A nation which boasts of its unity in diversity but also sees hate crimes in the name of religion and caste. A nation that prides in surplus grain production but a nation that also, according to the Global Hunger Index, faces a ‘serious’ hunger situation.
There are as many versions of which is the real India story as there are people in India.
And what do these people want of India?