State of the Republic

SCHOOLCHILDREN travelling in a bus are assaulted on the outskirts of the Capital. There’s violence on the streets. Cars are torched and windowpanes broken to express anger over a film that has been approved by the Censor Board and its screening allowed by the Supreme Court! This happened a couple of days before the magnificent parade that will mark the Republic Day, an occasion when we rejoice in our republican architecture and renew the commitments made in the Constitution. 

On the Republic Day, the country has much to celebrate. Democracy is now firmly ingrained in the DNA of the nation and we can take justifiable pride in being the largest working democratic system in the world. We have also developed into a modern economic power; we have empowered constitutional institutions that guarantee us the freedoms that we take for granted. For most of today’s Indians, it is hard to imagine the tough times that the nation faced soon after Independence. Now we have food security. Our economy is developing at a fair rate. We are proud of the achievements of our scientists and doctors, but not so much of our political class. 

All, however, is not well. Our educational institutions need to be fixed, as does our primary health system. The gap between the rich and the poor has regrettably increased, and sectarian fringe elements have found that they have the ability to disrupt lives — even take them — with impunity. This is certainly not the republic that the framers of the Constitution envisaged. As we revel in the military, geopolitical and economic achievements, we need to shine a light on our underbelly. The weft and warp of our social fabric is being strained, indeed, it shows some tears. Even as we march to the drumbeat of vikas, we need to keep in step with the spirit and intent of what the framers of our Constitution enshrined in the document: a vibrant democracy, an egalitarian social order, and a just and fair rule of law.