Soon India turns 60, and with all the fanfare that surrounds the new emerging India, one becomes retrospective as well eager what future beholds. And being a part of at least the last 20 odd years of its life I find it interesting how all of this will play around.
I still remember the 1987, the "Mile sur mera tumhara", in a country coming out of the disillusioned of the late 70's and early 80's and inspired by fresh blood of Rajiv (was it is the teenage idealism but he was heck of a man). And this new blood and new ways to mend mistakes of the past was carried in this essense of this song. I would still say one song that still invokes so many passions in even people today.
Mixed with the so called "politically mistakes" of a politically neophyte PM, and changing global economic of the world India and world were soon going to be changed. Suddenly the disadvantaged country with 2nd highest graduates but still a third world country, could this huge number of educated mass its greatest enviable asset.
And two things which certainly made things make this turn for better at least economically were first Sam Pitorda. The self altruistic who came to pay back to his homeland and the PM who brought the biggest economic policy change without him knowing the significance of it (PV Narshima Rao, Gurcharan Das: India Unbound). And suddenly the dormant advantage both culturally ( more emphasis on intellectual than worldly Maya oriented) and its educational system ( by a true idealist and futurist Nehru, whom I still believe was the best India produced on equals to the "Mahatma: in its Hindi meaning" ).
And with the economic opening of world especially the early 90's and building of cheap fiber optic cable by telecoms companies (which would become their graves) suddenly allowed two ancient lands to rise. Suddenly India and China suddenly became a force of not the NEW OPEN MARKET of globalisation, as envisioned, but the predators interestingly becomes preys. I suppose no one at that time especially with all the low self esteem of Indian could have never have thought it could play to its advantage.
And suddenly the always sulken middle aged country has spring in its feet. But more importantly confidence, the one stuff we all Indians lacked for so long. And when the whole world beholds rise of these ancient cultures (including China) there is finally hope of alleviation of poverty from half of mankind. All must have been so apropos though a bit late to Nehru's speech on that night, Tryst of Destiny, "Long years ago we made a tryst with destiny, and now the time comes when we shall redeem our pledge, not wholly or in full measure, but very substantially. At the stroke of the midnight hour, when the world sleeps, India will awake to life and freedom"
