: Rewind: India @75, and @100 #IndiaNEWS #News By B Sambamurthy Let it be said at the outset, loud and clear. India can be proud of its achievements in the past 75 years. India shall be grateful to

Rewind: India @75 , and @100 #IndiaNEWS #News
By B Sambamurthy
Let it be said at the outset, loud and clear. India can be proud of its achievements in the past 75 years. India shall be grateful to all the freedom fighters and Prime Ministers, from Jawaharlal Nehru to Narendra Modi, for their service to the nation and the progress under their careful care since Independence. No doubt, each of the regimes came with its own flavours and preferences. Mahatma Gandhi comes on a different frame and pedestal altogether.
Having born one year after Independence, I have memories that are etched in my mind over 74 years, which are hard to erase. Let me share a few.
Political Unity – Most Understated Achievement
The most understated political and social achievement of India is its ability to remain united, come rain or sunshine. Historian Ramachandra Guha once said that if India were to be a startup in 1947, no one would fund it. Such was the dire prognosis of India’s survival as a nation given massive poverty, illiteracy, diversity and the chaotic conditions in the early years. But today, India is beaming with startups and is an attractive destination for global investors. The change is so profound. There are several hits and misses in India’s arduous journey of 75 years.
Even small countries like Yugoslavia (population of 23 million), Czechoslovakia (population of just 15 million) have splintered into several small independent countries. Not to say of the massive USSR. Pakistan is another case. Their authoritarian regimes could not save the unity of these countries.
Unlike our neighbour, we did not fortuitously mix, politics, religion and military dictatorship. India overcame several threats to its unity and integrity. The seeds sown by freedom fighters have not gone in vain.
From Ship to Mouth to Feeding the World
From ravages of acute food shortage in the early years, India now has surplus foodgrains exporting to over 100 countries. From the ignominy of literally dependent on the US mercy for food under PL480, we have progressed to a situation when the world protested when we temporarily halted exports to their countries.
As a teenager, I very well recall having listened to (from our tabletop radio), mild-mannered and sober Prime Minister Lal Bahadur Shastri’s appeal to Indians (1964-65) to skip at least one meal in a week so as to save the scarce food amid the Indo-Pak war. People responded to this call without any murmur.
Milk Billions Far More Impactful than UPI Billions
Amid this crisis, Lal Bahadur Shastri’s initiatives like the Green revolution and the White (milk) revolution are serving our needs even today and have ensured food security. India is the largest producer of milk and the second largest producer of wheat and rice.