By Rajeev R
As a free nation, India completes 75 years today, a rare milestone in our saga of collective trials, tribulations, failures and successes. These are not simple years but of great significance, marked by perseverance, excellence and resilience! From the scratch to where we stand today as a nation epitomizes our will power to move on against all odds in our pursuits of excellence. Coping with an alarming amount of poverty, unemployment, monstrous backwardness, and plagued by an endless number of maladies, India is now the economic powerhouse of the world!
The beginning of the 75th year of our independence marks a new phase in our national life, heralding the challenge and opportunity to build a new India. If our freedom was made possible by generations of freedom fighters – some known, many unknown – we need to preserve the great legacy by continuously adding value and verve to their heroic deeds. We have all reasons to take pride in the distance we have covered in the past 75 years.
Four wars against enemies – 1962, 1965, 1971 and 1999 – did not distract us from pursuing the mission of freeing our people from the clutches of hardships. Rather, we emerged stronger from adversities, making rapid strides in the direction of self-reliance, scientific and academic excellence. As a result, India is playing a pivotal role in today’s multi-polar world order. From the Olympics to the World Economic Forum (WEF), Indian talents are leaving their indelible mark on the world horizon.
We have just seen the performance of our players in the Tokyo Olympics where they gave their best performance. Our girls and boys are doing wonders. During the first and second wave of Covid-19, we witnessed the zeal with which our corona warriors -- doctors, nurses, health workers, administrators, and others – handled the situation, which has become a point of reference globally. Now, they are engaged in carrying out the world’s largest vaccination drive with a great deal of ease and enthusiasm!
However, there is scope for any complacency. In order to continue charting the course of good governance and excellence, we have to keep our feet on the ground. We have many more miles to go. We will continue negotiating multiple twists and turns, but we will not lose the sight of our ultimate goal – a self-reliant India. The spirit of patriotism and sacrifice teaches us to be inclusive in our approach and serve mankind in a selfless manner. We must not forget that our each and every deed is for the nation. Let us resolve to give our best to Mother India!
(The writer is a senior journalist and author. The views expressed are strictly his personal)
