An introspection at 64

Today ,on introspection we find there is much to celebrate ,including the fact that we are still unified after six decades.For when India was born in 1947 there were 40 odd independent nations in the world,and today there are more than 200.It's not as if more land was recovered from the seas,but simply that many countries splintered into smaller nation states.India itself was an amalgamation of diverse sub national entities,each of whom could have become a full fledged number of the United Nations.

The journey of the past years has been tumultuous marked with wars and famines,small and large changes in the constitution and governments,and occasional internal conflicts.But all these have been dealt by constitutional means within a democratic framework.On the economic front there is much to celebrate .Today we are a trillion dollar economy and among the fastest growing in the world.

The memories of severe food shortages and emergency wheat imports appear distant now.Even foreign exchange is no longer a scarce resource as it used to be.Most youngsters today expect to lead a better life than there parents.This optimism and the can do attitude of today's entrepreneurs is cause for celebration.

The remarkable feature of Indian economy is that the number of households tied directly or indirectly to agriculture is disproportionately large.These households need to move into service or industry,else their income and productivity will continue to stagnate,making it harder for the future generations to break the shackles of poverty.

Sixty four is the age when an  ordinary human being go into semi retirement and become contemplative.you don't quite cut off from the family or society ,but you delve deeper into spiritual pursuits.What happens to humans,is obviously not applicable to our still youthful nation.But after 64 years of independence ,this is an appropriate age to ask ourselves soul searching question about the quality and path of  economic development.The changing national agenda reflects the maturing of social concerns. Not surprisingly,today we care more about inclusive growth ,and not just growth.We passed a law guaranteeing 100 days of rural employment as a proxy for genuine unemployment insurance.we are working on making the right to elementary education a fundamental and an enforceable right ,right to information is also there .

The list of challenges look formidable,and is a cause for despair to the crowd who see the glass as less than half empty.Some go to an extreme and call it total darkness of development while some fear our progress and does coward acts of blasts to shake the system and economy but in vein.Even if one grants them the metaphor of darkness ,the only way forward is to light a candle.