I grew up in an India that was barely a generation old. Looking back over the decades, what strikes me most is not merely how much the country has changed, but how much time we lost before discovering what India could actually become.
The India of my childhood was poor, insecure and hesitant. We inherited the trauma of Partition, fought wars with Pakistan and, in 1962, suffered a humiliating defeat against China.
We lost territory and strategic space even as political leadership sometimes appeared more concerned with ideological posturing and electoral calculations than with hard national interests.
The Congress establishment’s dependence on vote banks and its pursuit of appeasement had consequences that went beyond elections. Kashmir remained unresolved, Pakistan retained territory that India claims as its own, and China gradually consolidated its position along our borders.
We also built an economy around controls, licences and permissions. For decades, the phrase ‘Hindu rate of growth’ became a shorthand for an economy that seemed incapable of matching the nation’s potential. Yet that would be an unfairly incomplete picture of post-Independence India.
The builders beyond politics
For beneath the political failures, another India, that is Bharat, was quietly being built. Scientists, engineers, doctors, teachers, entrepreneurs and administrators created institutions and capabilities that would eventually transform the country.
The foundations of scientific research, higher education, space technology, atomic energy and modern industry were laid. The Green Revolution helped the country overcome chronic food shortages. Our doctors and medical professionals began earning global respect.
Much of this progress was driven by individuals whose determination transcended political limitations. A few leaders also understood that nation-building required institutions and infrastructure that would outlive them.
India’s progress, therefore, cannot be credited entirely to its political class. Much of it happened because Indians kept pushing forward despite the system.
The turning point
The economic reforms of 1991 marked a watershed. They loosened the grip of the licence-permit raj and released the energies of Indian enterprise. The results have been remarkable.
Telecommunications transformed the way we communicate. Information technology turned Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Pune and other cities into global centres of innovation and employment.
Roads, ports, airports, electricity and digital infrastructure expanded. Private enterprise flourished, and a new generation discovered opportunities that earlier generations could scarcely imagine.
The nation had moved from struggling to feed itself to becoming a major producer of food. Our pharmaceutical industry became a global force. From modest beginnings in space research, our country progressed to sophisticated missions that command international respect.
The biggest change is psychological
Perhaps the most profound transformation has not been material but psychological.
The India of my youth was often apologetic about its poverty and uncertain about its place in the world.
Today’s Bharat is far more confident and aspirational. We compete with the best in the world. A Bharatiya entrepreneur can think globally from the day a business is conceived. And a Bharatiya scientist can aspire to reach the Moon and beyond.
Millions now have access to mobile communications, digital payments, banking and information that would have seemed like science fiction when I was growing up.
The journey is unfinished
But there is no room for complacency. We still struggle with unemployment, inequality, chaotic urbanisation, environmental degradation, inadequate public services and social tensions.
Political parties of every persuasion must recognise that electoral arithmetic cannot permanently take precedence over national interest.
At 80, Bharat has much to celebrate but also much to introspect about.
Our story is ultimately one of remarkable progress despite many missed opportunities. Bharat succeeded because its people refused to surrender to limitations.
Much of the country’s progress came from individuals who believed they could do better – and from leaders who understood that their responsibility was to build institutions and infrastructure for generations they would never see.
The India I inherited was a country of limited means and limited expectations. The Bharat I see today is a country of immense possibilities.
The challenge before us is to ensure that our politics finally rises to the level of our people’s aspirations.
