Sixty-three years after Independence, India is a vibrant nation that has successfully tided over each and every crisis it faced. It is a nation which has emerged strong..." />
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Friday, March 29
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Wish You A Happy Independence Day

Wish You A Happy Independence Day


Mangalore Today News Network

“We should all, particularly the young generation, launch a movement for a transparent India, just as our fathers fought for our freedom. Transparency is a cornerstone of development.” – A P J Abdul Kalam, former Prsident of India.

 

national flagSixty-three years after Independence, India is a vibrant nation that has successfully tided over each and every crisis it faced. It is a nation which has emerged strong with the passing of each year. Despite all its adversities, India has proved to the world that it is a strong and united nation based on a solid foundation, unshakable by any force.


When India attained independence, many had predicted that it would fail to remain united. But today, as we look back 63 years after independence, there are at least a few things that make us extremely proud, setting aside the innumerous problems in which the country is entangled with.


To be sure, Indian unity is not complete. Though free and fair elections are regularly conducted, the Indian politics is marred by corruption. The gap between the rich and the poor is widening and still the nation remaining united is a real wonder of sorts. The most crucial reason why a united and democratic India survives is its constitution. Recognizing the distinctiveness of the Indian experiment, the Constitution refused to base nationhood on a single religion or language.


India’s 150 million Muslims face poverty, illiteracy, but their identity and traditions are inseparable from the rest of the country. Social mobility in the new India has not entirely excluded Muslims. Many Indian Muslims have become sports heroes, film stars, politicians, academicians, professional leaders, business tycoons or journalists.


The stark contrast in a secular nation like India is however that securing the Muslim votes has been essential for any party intending to stand on a secular platform. This uneasy balance of power - and the longstanding dispute between India and Pakistan over the Muslim-majority territory of Kashmir has paved way for both home-grown and Pakistan-based Islamist groups.


Today, the old idea of India, of a vast and ancient civilization mired in righteous poverty, is being overshadowed by strikingly new images. Its software giants are adding several thousands of jobs a year each to ensure that India becomes the world’s IT leader. But the stark poverty prevailing in various parts of the nation seem to be ridiculing the rapid strides the nation has made. The fact that none can deny is that India is still a poor country.


The paradox is that India is economically confident, yet immersed in abject poverty. The reason is crystal clear- a vast majority of Indians live in rural, feudal darkness and only a lucky few are part of the shining new future. Services, essentially white-collar work, make up more than half of national income. It is nothing but true that only 35 million people in India have any sense of job security and a majority of them work for the government. The rest of the working population is part of “the unorganized sector” which is struggling to fight for its rights.


Over the past 63 years, democracy in India has been challenged by poverty, violence and religious extremism. But against all the odds, it has survived. India has one of the fastest-growing economies in the world, a powerful and equally colorful film industry and even its first woman president. This proud India contrasts with the earlier image of a submissive India.


That India has held together as a functioning democracy committed to its secular, liberal ideals is its major achievement. Still serious problems persist. Caste wars are on the rise as more and more communities want to be called “backward”, to enjoy the benefits provided by the government. Then there is the threat of Hindu fundamentalism, whose ugliest manifestation was the 2002 riots in Gujarat.


Terrorism and Naxalism are the two major threats that India face since long time. Many soldiers, who have set their life to protect the civilians, are loosing their valued life while fighting with terrorists and naxalites. Terrorism has emerged as a threat to peace and harmony in all parts of the world. After the horrific terror attacks in Mumbai, Bangalore and other major cities our government has taken many steps against terrorism. To root out terrorist activities, our security forces and intelligence agencies are being constantly upgraded.


Some parts of our country continue to be affected by the Naxalite menace. It is the constitutional obligation of the government to protect the life and liberty of our citizens.


Even after so many   years of freedom we are still dreaming of clean drinking water, uninterrupted power supply and justice from the courts. We keep looking for able leadership and good administration from our elected representatives most of whom are corrupt to the core.


As far as our very own district is concerned, no doubt the past 63 years of freedom has been momentous. But in the recent past, the spurt in communal related violence and the rise of fundamentalist forces in the district in the name of saving a religion has proved to be a black spot on the history of the otherwise peaceful district. The district in the recent years is also recognized as a highly communally sensitive district.


The number of incidents of taking law into hands by these so called saviours of a particular religion, who act to political dictats, has proved too costly for the district. The cattle smuggling issue too has been a bone of contention between the two prominent communities here and the issue has even paved for communal strife on several occasions.


This communal strife has also left several questions unanswered. It is also not known if it has taught a lesson to our political forces and law keeping authorities.


63 years after independence, our district no doubt has progressed, with some giant industries coming up and many more in the pipeline. But have our infrastructure and its quality match with the industrialization? -‘No.’ Our roads and bridges are as bad as ever with people here having no voice to protest or are they silently enduring the problem considering it their fate?.


After all what has happened to the enterprising people of this land? Why are they so silent to oppression and injustice?


No doubt the district has progressed on many counts, at the same time the loopholes are many that need to be addressed. The need of the hour is for the spirit of nationalism, patriotism and independence to prevail. What we look forward is a vibrant Dakshina Kannada and a vibrant and transparent nation that can withstand all sorts of pressures and rise high.  

 

Vande Matharam


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