India as a Republic

January 26th is Republic day here in India. On this day, the nation had a constituition, and finally it was declared a Republic. This time, Russian President Vladimir Putin is the special guest for this republic day function. He is here on a two day visit to promote closer ties with India. But, the focus is not going to be on that. The focus of this post as the nation enters its 58th year as a Republic is on how far the nation has progressed in several fronts, with the perrenial problems of Corruption and lack of Infrastructure still prevailing.

First and for all, the good part is that India is much better of then it was nearly 50 years ago. The economy is booming, and it is all poised to overtake the economy of the UK in the near future. With leading economists saying that 2007 is a good year for the world economy, India's resurgence is all set to continue. The effects of this boom have already had an impact in Indian society. With a diverse and wide range of Western Material, the Indian consumer now has a multiple of choices in everything ranging from clothing, food and others. The Consumer now is the king in India, and their optimistic mood is reflecting on the economy. The process of Decentralization, along with the inflow of FDI and FII has resulted in India having large amounts of Forex reserves, which will aid in the development of the country.

India is on the throes of a Communication and Media revolution. Print as well as Broadcast Media have recieved a tremendous boost in the country, leading to an Information surplus. The power of the Citizen has been boosted, along with the Right to Information has resulted in Transparency in Administration, thus reducing Corruption. The Internet and the Telephone have reached to the farthest sections of India, thus keeping the country united. The boost in the economy has resulted in a revolution in the Transport and Infrastructure as well. The Railways have managed to overcome their losses and have transformed into a huge success. With the Completion of the Golden Quadrilateral, the highway network connecting Delhi, Kolkatta, Chennai and India, the roadways will be a vital element in India's growth. The formation of several Airliners, both Low cost and High, have also resulted in India openingup its skies, thus allowing Foreign players into the market.

Now, for the bad news. India's infrastructure, although improving, has not been sustainable. Bottlenecks in the completion of the golden quadrilateral have not made things easier. The government, under pressure from the Marxists and the Left parties have all put pressure on the government to curb the inflow of FDI and FII in various sectors. The economy is undergoing slow reformation, with the possibility that foreign players might soon loose their interest in the Indian Market. The Infrastructure of the cities in India is also crumbling, the instances being the Mumbai floods of July 26th, 2005, as well as several other problems.

The Justice system has also undergone a slow process, but it is only because of Media activism and the fact that the factor of High society, as in the case of Jessica Lall or the Mumbai blasts, with the presence of Sanjay Dutt, led to the Media terming it the revival of India's justice system. The police and the ensuing Justice system is still sluggish and impotent, as in the case of the Nithari killings have shown. Media's continued obssession with Entertainment, as well as the attempt to Tabloidize news has resulted in Citizens not getting empowered with Information. The Right to Information has also been blunted, although the fate of it is still uncertain.

India faces a very tense security scenario. From the time of Independence, the Kashmir issue has remained unsolved. Although both India and Pakistan are both talking on this issue, there is fear that the peace process in Kashmir might stagnate, thus leading to increased militancy in the region. India has a dire problem in the form of the Naxalites, which continue to pose a threat to the Heartland of India. They have managed to establish themselves, and i seems that the Police and the administration of the Naxal affected states cannot do anything about it. Terrorism has and will always be the main challenge to India. The Mumbai Train blasts of July 11th 2006 has exposed the non-existency of India's internal security.

With all this summary, India enters it's 58th year of being a republic with a mixed bag. Although it is doing well on most of the fronts, the problems of Religious Tensions, Caste tensions, and lack of development in the heartland of the country threaten its forward progress. If there is a better time for India and its Citizens to reflect upon where India stands, it is NOW. Also, let us pause for a moment and remember all the victims of the Earthquake which struck Gujarat on this day exactly 6 years ago. The devastation and the loss of human lives that occured on that day in Gujarat was horrifying. Certain parts of the state were completely levelled, in particular Kutch. Now, the state has put that behind, and most of the state has been rebuilt. But, I will admit that i am not doing it any Justice by devoting the incident so little space. But, when India becomes a Republic, we have to also remember people who died on that day when the Catastrophe struck.