It is an absolutely gorgeous morning here in India as we see the dawn of the 63rd Independence Day. The only conspicuous black spot on the white sheet is that we Indians have forgotten what independence really means.
Back in early 1900s, when we were trying to fight the British, it was easier for us to comprehend the term independence because there was a foreign entity on our land which was consuming our resources, natural and physical. The cries for “Swaraj” (Self-rule) rang through the streets and homes in the Indian subcontinent and the revolutionaries’ songs to Mother India to paint them in her vibrant hues and let them fight for her (mohe rang de basanti) echoed through the hearts of millions. When Subhas Chandra Bose asked Indians to give him their blood (i.e. fight by his side) in return for freedom from the foreigners, we were ready to sacrifice blood and bone for our nation. The fire of passion and urge to fight is still alight within our souls. What is missing is a direction, a target. We no longer have an ostensible target like the British to direct out energies towards. What we have to revolt against today is much more deep set and slightly more difficult to locate. Poverty, hunger, untouchability, discrimination, corruption, illiteracy, impoverishment of families, etc is what we have to be recalcitrant against and seek independence from. This revolt may not be marked so much by songs or sacrificing lives, but it is about promoting an egalitarian society in which all persons receive the essentials of a decent living that they are entitled to.
India tops the world hunger chart with 230 million people being undernourished, and the UNICEF estimates that of these, malnourished children account for 47% of India’s population. The World Bank says 42% of India’s population lives below the global poverty line of $1.25 per day. The Oxford Poverty and Human Development Initiative, in conjunction with the U.N. concluded that eight Indian states account for more poor people than the 26 poorest African nations combined. The agriculture sector employs approx 60% of our population but accounts for only 17.5% of the Gross Domestic Product.
Education in India is also in a very poor state. Free and compulsory education for Indians was a directive principle of state policy in lieu of which the Right to Education Act was passed. But as Dr Amartya Sen points out, the primary problem with our education system is poor teachers and absentee faculty. Health care in India is dismal. Nearly one million Indians die every year due to inadequate healthcare facilities and 700 million people have no access to specialist care. Forty percent of the primary health centers in India are understaffed and India faces a huge gap between the demand and availability of hospital beds. And here we have spoken only of a few conspicuous issues, out of the seemingly infinite total.
Yes India has come a long long way from 1947. Today we stand at a better footing in the world and have a self-sustaining government and economy. The idea of putting forth these statistics was not to upset anyone, but to realise the gravity of the situation and the fact that we still have a long way to go. We need to keep fighting. We have voting rights, which if used properly can serve as potent tools of development. We have the freedom of speech, expression and action to urge and aid our government in fighting the evils we see today. We have the right to hold the executive accountable for its actions with the right to information.
In his book The Argumentative Indian, Dr Amartya Sen said something beautiful. He said that “being fired up about hunger or illiteracy” is more fundamental than being “fired up about public ownership or private ownership. If you do, then there is something wrong with you!”
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08.15.10
Beautifully written Sirtaj!
A proud day indeed for all Indians 
05.18.11
Most of the communities in India (such as Bengali), are succumbed in ‘Culture of Poverty’(a theory introduced by an American anthropologist Oscar Lewis), irrespective of class or economic strata, lives in pavement or apartment. Nobody is at all ashamed of the deep-rooted corruption, decaying general quality of life, worst Politico-administrative system, weak mother language, continuous absorption of common space (mental as well as physical, both). We are becoming fathers & mothers only by self-procreation, mindlessly & blindfold. Simply depriving their(the children) fundamental rights of a decent, caring society, fearless & dignified living. Do not ever look for any other positive alternative behaviour (values) to perform human way of parenthood, i.e. deliberately co-parenting of those children those are born out of ignorance, real poverty. All of us are being driven only by the very animal instinct. If the Bengali people ever be able to bring that genuine freedom (from vicious cycle of ‘poverty’) in their own life/attitude, involve themselves in ‘Production of Space’(Henri Lefebvre), at least initiate a movement by heart, decent & dedicated Politics will definitely come up. – Siddhartha Bandyopadhyay, 16/4, Girish Banerjee Lane, Howrah-711101.