Amna Mirza, a guest lecturer at the Department of Political Science at Zakir Hussain College in Delhi University writes about the contradictions that beleaguer India's future.

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Here comes the echo of celebration of sixty years of India’s Independence. The by-lanes of history have another story to tell. 15august 1945 was the day when the Second World War came to an end, after bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki by United States. The aftermath of the nuclear holocaust continue to haunt the psyche of humanity till today. The nuclear race unleashed after this event has been unprecedented in its own. The question of stockpiles and dangers of annihilation of mankind are well known horrors of nuclear weapons.

Today hot debates flow on the nuclear deal between India and United States. Have we ever thought that what benefit will this deal give us? The amount of capital investment needed for building up the nuclear plants would be prodigal, whereas in rural areas, the farmers continue to cease lives.

We talk about double-digit growth rate, but its foundations are shaky as we continue to neglect need for agricultural development and land reforms. We rake the debates on ‘Gandhigiri as philosophy of our times’, yet the youth has become ruthlessly callous as we have seen in the road-rages, hit and run cases, rising cases of violence on women in society. We harp on socialism in preamble but all Multi-national corporations have swayed the market where we are trapped to hunt for their profit.

Our preamble begins with a ringing declaration of ‘We, the people of India’, yet I beg to ask, who are these ‘people’ included in India. The gains of growth continue to bypass rural areas. The villages continue to be what Dr.Bhim.Rao Ambedkar held, ‘den of ignorance, sink of localism’. Does the parameter of Indian nation stretch up to the elites and the middle class only?

We ascribe high values to doctors, engineers, management, but look down upon social sciences as ‘non-lucrative, mundane, arcane, and archaic’. We ignore the need to understand the nuances of social enquiry in its multi-various forms vis-à-vis economics, sociology, Philosophy. Politics, literature etc. Perhaps, this explains the sheer lack of empathy present today.

Every year the tenant at 7, Race course makes colossal promises and claims about the benevolent role of mighty Indian State. Unfortunately it falls short of containing the rising naxal violence, the social fabric is rent asunder as North-eastern areas and Kashmir continue to be in turnmoil. Corruption and mal-administration continue to plague our ethos.

We have developed two judicial systems- one for the rich while other for the poor. The latter continue to bear the brunt of ‘justice delayed, is justice denied’. the Jessica Lal murder case saw the civil society asserting its autonomy to seek justice, but the event begs the merit, that it was a short lived ‘urban phenomena’.

Our ancient scriptures and mythology talk about reverence to women, yet the women reservation bill, which came up for discussion in 1996, has not seen the light of the day.

Although the public school education and higher education is getting better with time  yet it caters to the people from higher sections of society.

Every year the tenant at 7, Race course makes colossal promises and claims about the benevolent role of mighty Indian State. Unfortunately it falls short of containing the rising naxal violence, the social fabric is rent asunder as North-eastern areas and Kashmir continue to be in turnmoil. Corruption and mal-administration continue to plague our ethos, with complete sidelining on insistence on use of ‘moral force, to change the heart of evil-doer. The Gandhian talisman of our policies benefiting the ‘last man’, remain on mere paper.

This India is far away from Tagore’s vision of nation, ‘where the mind is without fear and the head is held high.’ There is no scientific temper and rationality, of what Pt.Nehru dreamt of. Democracy extends beyond political frontiers, it is a social process. 

Indifferentism as displayed caste based  aggression in Yavatmal, Nagpur, Jhajjar make mockery of co-existence in us. 

Where are we heading towards? Will we balkanize? Did we have a glorious non-violent freedom struggle for this nation, where the chasms continue to haunt us? How long can we continue to turn blind eye to our problems?

Let us be optimistic. Our freedom is hard-earned. Let us care for it.  “Chak-de! India”. Let’s gear up again to participate in building a nation on fraternity, equity, integrity, so that we all can once again can proudly asset ‘Mera Bharat Mahan!”. It’s only our action that can make a difference as good things in life come in small packages.