Prosperity to Procrastination-68 years of volatility

As we celebrate our 69th independence day tomorrow, it is imperative that we make a holistic assessment of our journey through these years. As an Indian, I refuse to accept the proposition that we were born as a nation 68 years ago. Indian civilization lives past any documented history of civilisations. As a civilization we're the oldest ones & along with greece we're rightly called as 'the cradle of civilization'. If we meticulously study the history of nations who were colonised & subsequently who attained independence, we will realise that we are the only ones who have distinctly maintained their cultural & ideological identity.
So the aforementioned facts provide us with the context in which I wish to discuss our post-independence era. Yes we were ruled by foreigners for nearly 800 years who looted the rich & wealthy indian society with all the might at their command. When we finally got independence in 1947, we were undernourished, impoverished & literally bankrupt economically. In the post-independence era, through the 60s & 70s we adopted the soviet model of governance. From purchasing a telephone to obtaining the ration practically everything was government regulated. Back then the political landscape was heavily dominated by leftist ideology. Being affluent in that era was considered a national crime. Socialism had brainwashed the minds of Indian politicians. Obsession with socialism was not without a cause. The alarming poverty levels & other social indicators had made it essential for the government to distribute freebies & subsidies. And doing these things also generated rich political harvest. So no wonder that 'Garibi Hatao' slogans dominated the 70s. Essentially Mrs. Indira Gandhi could sustain her political charm in the 70s with these catchy slogans without actually eliminating poverty. In those days, poverty had become a national obsession, the government almost fell in love with poverty that they never eliminated it. All the anti-poverty measures had a tremendous impact on the public exchequer & we were a high-tax regime. Inflation in double-digits had become a natural phenomenon. This reckless freebie culture ultimately had adverse fiscal effects which made India literally bankrupt in late 80s.
Essentially, we must thank our former PM P V Narasimha Rao who had the political will to take path-breaking policy reform in 1991. Notwithstanding the performance of Manmohan Singh, the Prime Minister we owe it to Manmohan Singh, the Finance Minister a deep gratitude for literally lifting India from deep financial criss in 1991. We moved from a controlled economy to a free market regime. The work done by the succeeding Prime Ministers Gowda, I K Gujral & AB Vajpayee was in the same direction. We didn't change our policy direction. In the UPA 1 era, the work done by Dr. Singh was also more or less in the same vein.
In the last 5-6 years a sense of despondency & frustration had gripped indian minds. We became aspirational as a society. And UPA 2 was still stuck in the 80s with its own political calculations & its own poverty obsessed mind. It failed to read the mind of Indian electorate. We have progressed in the last 60 years, it's an indisputable & undeniable fact.
But now we aren't satisfied as nation who is walking towards progess. We want to run, we want to shatter past all our mediocrity & reach beyond that last blue mountain. In the last 6 years we have seen enough of degradation in public life. From allegations of corruption to brazen misue of power, we have seen it all. The verdict pronounced by the Indian electorate in 2014, was essentially a development centric & aspiration based verdict. From caste combinations to religious polarisation we have moved on to development politics. Yes we had a lag phase which I call it as a sense of procrastination but we're now ready to take off & launch ourselves assertively in the global arena.
I have no doubts that we are here to make our mark. I have no doubt that from now development politics is the way forward. Only those who toil in their 5 year regime will get rewarded with a renewed mandate. And we must remember that a nation is not created by a government, a nation is created not by its intellectuals or academicians, neither is a nation really created by its corporates, a nation is created by that last man who stands in the queue. True development is not high GDP, low inflation or low interest rates, true development is when we don't spit on the roads, when we don't honk unnecessarily, when standing in queue comes naturally in us.
A nation is finally a manifestation of the inherent traits of its citizens. Insofar as India is concerned, it's a work in lightning progess. It's not a sloganeering anymore, it's a hardcore work in progess on-ground.
And guys finally we'll make it. No matter what anyone thinks.
Wishing all my countrymen a patriotic Independence Day.