Which ever way you look at it, 60 is a fine milestone. Institutions celebrate their diamond jubilee when they turn 60. Individuals mark their sashtiabdhapoorthi when they turn 60. But when a republic turns three score, as India does on 26 January, it is an opportune moment to lean back and look into the rear-view mirror.
Have we accomplished the mission of our founding fathers (and the odd mother), the Constitution-makers? Are the three pillars of our democracy—the legislature, the executive, the judiciary—in better shape than when we moved into them? Have we erased the social and economic imbalances, inequalities and inequities? Have we made the laws, built the institutions, set in motion the processes that could result in a just, free, fair society down to the last man (and woman and child)?
Or, are we crumbling and coming apart, as evidenced by the criminalisation of the legislature, the undercurrent of casteism and communalism, and the bottomless corruption that now seems to have afflicted the judiciary, the armed forces and the media? With a third of the districts under “red menace”, with growing regionalism, and the threat of terrorism, are we just sitting on a tinderbox, lucky if we see our way in the present shape to the platinum jubilee?
Do our GDP growth rate and stock market figures hide the rot within?
churumuri 
You are looking at only one side of the country. See the other sectors, where India is in world class position. No, India is not crubling. What we should do is fight against the evils you have mentioned, not remain laidback, criticising or blaming some one. We should become responsible citizens and fight for our rights.
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If the Present ruling party continues its policy of divide and rule to stay in power at the center, what ever may be the GDP we may end up like USSR!
Congress party blames all others but all the bad things that have happened and are happening are their own doing. They do not realize this. We need a revolution.
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Not yet.
The Indian Constitution and the Republic did not come within a 60 year guarantee to end all problems within this time or…your votes back.
Rather, the solution to our problems lies with us. Our Constitution and our Republic merely tell us that when we go about solving problems, some things are kosher and some haraam. We chose this route to solving our problem because this was the only way India could solve its problems for the long run as opposed to merely ensuring good annual GDP figures.
Both the scenarios above are best case and worst case. The truth, as always with India, lies exactly in the middle.
Everything “wrong” in this country is our own making, but whatever good is there is also our own making; and that is a comforting thought because it tells us that the solutions to what is wrong in our country lies in our own hands.
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Of course India is not crumbling. The very fact that the country is tolerating the ever grumbling media, forever complaining so called educated class, people who do not know the difference between need and want shows that India is as resilient as can be. If there is anything wrong with our country, it is our own doing and we need to be responsible enough to accept the fact and do something. Sometimes it looks like we are waiting for some one to come and correct all wrongs in the country.
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Nope. While we have many problems, we shall certainly overcome!
In IT parlance, we have a good design but the implementation has been poor. But if you look at the trends, they are positive. I would’ve been despondent 10-15 years back but not now.
May be I am a little bit too optimistic but that optimism stems from the fact that we are on the right course though driving at 20 kms/hr.
Ofc that doesn’t mean that we are anywhere nearby the ideal nation where there is no discord and all-round prosperity. Discords will remain and so will be the pockets of deprivation. But hopefully they wouldn’t be as distressing in scale as they are today.
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It is good to see a lot of optimism all around.
But look at how we have progressed in the last 60 years. The number of illiterates in India today is more than the total population of the country in 1947. Rural infrastructure hardly exists. Large scale migration from rural areas, dysfunctional civic bodies, corrupt governments and builder mafias have collectively reduced our cities to glorified slums. Educational standards have come down over the years. See the way our people live, drive around or behave in public. What you see is mostly mob culture and it’s hard to believe that these people or their progeny will evolve into communities with better civic awareness/sensitivities. Corruption is all pervasive and enforcement happens only in bits and pieces. India’s population is projected to touch 1.4 billion in a few years. But I wonder if someone out there has a realistic plan to control population. We’re kidding ourselves if we’re looking at GDP growth, FDI inflows and similar prosperity indicators and telling ourselves we have a great future. Our systems (whether it is the government, civic or the legal machinery) and our social fabric are all corroding from inside and they badly need overhaul. We’re crumbling for sure, but getting half the people to accept the reality is a major challenge in itself. When will we get down to seeing things the way they are? Who’s going to clean up the mess we have around us?
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The answer to the question lies within how one frames the question. Your question has been framed like a glass half full. With all out infirmities, we are still poised for greatness, if we can grab the chances that come our way.
Sanjay Uvach
Corruption in India
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Without opening of our economy and without the IT becoming an important industrial sector in the world, at that very time, we would be living like characters in “Chomana Dudi” or some Satyajit Ray movies, all black and white. Now people can at least dare to dream in color.
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>>India’s population is projected to touch 1.4 million in a few years. >>
I thought we are already over the billion mark and growing :)
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India will survive..Indians will continue to suffer…
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India is shining for my social class.It ain’t crumbling.
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India is amazingly mature for its years, though we have some small rambling class who can’t tolerate and co-exist with fellow Indians.
Our politicians are crass and unsophisticated in their approach in general, but one good quality about them is – They all fall in line (most of the time) with the verdict of the voters. We don’t see violent changes in leadership.
Our neighbourhood reminds us why even our bad politicians are better than what the region has thrown up so far : http://ibnlive.in.com/news/fonseka-plotted-to-murder-rajapaksa-sri-lanka/109331-2.html?from=tn
We have our challenges, but we will surely come on top..
“We shall overcome one day”…
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it is being held together by glue and staples and duct tape. But no, it is not crumbling.
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