GREETINGS ON THE INDEPENDENCE DAY – AUGUST 15

 

TODAY, August 15, we are celebrating the Independence Day of India. My greetings to all my fellow citizens and friends on this happy occasion.

India has come a long way since 1947. We are a nation of 1.25 billion people. Demographically, India is one of youngest countries. India is the largest democracy of the world. It is one of the fastest growing economies. India is one of the largest reservoirs of skilled and semi-skilled manpower. But India is still poor and under developed. We are still to go a long way. The divisive forces are at work and are gaining strength. We are a divided lot on the basis of caste and religion. We are one of the top corrupt nations. The economy is in dis-array. Political parties do not have any national agenda. India is surrounded by hostile neighbours.

India Today, in one of its latest issues has termed India as “World’s only RDC” and said “There are LDCs (Less Developed Countries) and there are UDCs (Under Developed Countries) But India is an RDC, a Refusing to Develop Country, thanks to its politicians. India today has further informed that in 1982, India’s per capita income was 39% higher than China’s. By 2012, India’s per capita income had reduced to just 24% of China’s. An average Chinese is 3 times richer than an Indian; he was 28% poorer than an Indian in 1982. It is a matter of shame and concern.

Let the Independence Day be an occasion for introspection. We have definitely gone wrong on the way. Before we get derailed, we need to remind ourselves of the warning Dr. B.R. Ambedkar gave in the Constituent Assembly. He said “Independence is no doubt a matter of joy. But let us not forget this independence has thrown on us great responsibilities. By independence, we have lost the excuse of blaming the British for anything going wrong. If hereafter things go wrong, we will have nobody to blame but ourselves”