On our Republic Day

Today is Republic Day and I want to give you some thoughts befitting the day that we are celebrating. It’s going to circle around our country. Some material that I was reading was an eye opener to me and brought back memories of my school days when I studied things about India. Either way, I think it’s a good way to brush up some of the knowledge that we have of India. Republic day is one of the three national holidays that we have in India, the other two being Independence Day and Gandhi Jayanthi (which is Mahatma Gandhi’s birthday). Republic Day is the anniversary of the adoption of the Constitution of India and we made that transition on 26th January, 1950.
I was reading what happened during the interim period between August 15th 1947 and January 26th 1950 and it was interesting to note that Dr. B.R. Ambedkar was made Chairman of the Committee to draw up a constitution. Till then India was treated as a Dominion, we were still under King George VI as head of state and Mountbatten was the Governor General. Dr. Ambedkar spearheaded the drafting of the Constitution. I found some facts about him that I didn’t know. He’s an alumnus of Columbia University and the London School of Economics. He drafted the constitution over a period of 1056 days, that’s 2 years 11 months and 18 days. Before it was adopted as the constitution, it was prepared, the assembly met and these sessions were open to the public. 1056 days and many deliberations and modifications later, it was accepted and 2 copies, one in Hindi and the other in English, were signed on the 24th. It came into effect on 26th January 1950 and Dr. Rajendra Prasad was elected as President of India.

It is interesting to hear what Sir Anthony Eden, the Prime Minister of Britain (April 1955 to January 1957) said at the time of the emergence of the Indian Republic. “Of all the experiments in government which have been attempted since the beginning of time, I believe that the Indian venture into parliamentary government is the most exciting. A vast subcontinent is attempting to apply to its tens and thousands of millions, a system of free democracy. It is a brave thing to try to do so. The Indian venture is not a pale imitation of our practice at home, but a magnified and multiplied reproduction on a scale we have never dreamt of. If it succeeds, its influence on Asia is incalculable for good. Whatever the outcome, we must honor those who attempt it.”

So, 60 years later, I think it’s a good time to reflect. What have we done? How far have we come? Where are we headed? All these are thoughts that I’ve been engaging with on this national holiday.

I don’t know what age group I talk to on Tuesdays, but I remember a time when there were three classes of travel on the Indian Railways: First, Second and Third. The third class compartments were made up of wooden slats that, besides being terribly uncomfortable, were also horribly noisy as wooden windows beat such a dissonant staccato against the steady rhythm of wheels on wooden sleepers. Today, the Railways is home to the largest workforce in the world. Its former Minister delivered success lectures to IIMs and Business schools around the world. We’ve come a long way.

I remember a time when we had only 2 airlines: Air India for international travel and Indian Airlines for domestic. I remember with awe my first flight, the pride, the exhilaration, the cost. Today, over 10 – 12 airlines to choose from, with cost ranging from the ridiculous to the exorbitant, depending on one’s need and one’s desire for perks. Flying has become as common as taking a taxi to town and back. Some of you fly to Delhi or Chennai in the morning and get back to Mumbai or wherever you are, in the evening. We’ve come a long way.

I also remember a time when the only cars on the road were Ambassadors and Fiats, and then Premier Automobiles. The first Maruti that rolled out in the 80’s was the cynosure of all eyes and then we had Heralds thrown in, if you can remember that. Now we have Hyundais and Mitsubishis and General Motors and Honda, Mercedes – all investing in India. Most of the car models that are available elsewhere in the world are also available in India. We have come a long way.

I remember a time when it would take 12 years to get a telephone after booking it, where having a telephone was a status symbol. Now even the poorest people in the rural parts of India have a means of communicating with each other.

In 2007, an article written by the Washington Post predicted that with India adding more than 6 million cell phone subscribers a month, analysts expect that nearly half of India’s 1.1 billion people will be connected by cell phone by 2010. We’ve come a long way.

I also remember a time in India when a ship called the Stamatos ran aground off the Marina Beach, Chennai. It was the biggest shipping news of that time. Look where we’ve come today. Industry sources say that 9.3 million GT towards 2008 end. Gross tonnage is almost 10 million, in terms of number of ships almost 900 or more (statistics from Business Line). We’ve come a long way in these 60 years.

I stand tall when I hear the National Anthem, when I see the tricolor unfurl, when I see Indians win awards and take the podium at international meets. But you know what? I want to stand taller when I see the end of poverty, when I see beggars off the streets, when I see schools dotting the rural environments and hospitals available in small towns and villages. I want to stand even taller when I see the end of corruption and bribery, when we are welcomed into every country with respect because we are a country that has looked after its poor, have given dignity to its underprivileged, have fed its hungry and have made this world a little more safer, a little more habitable and a little more humane.

Mark Twain said many years ago, “India is the cradle of the human race, the birthplace of human speech, the mother of history, the grandmother of legend and the great grandmother of tradition. Our most valuable and most instructive materials in the history of man are treasured up in India only.”

I believe that we have only scratched the surface in our potential. What we have seen in 60 years is just the tip of the iceberg. But there is more we can do, and that more is in the hands of people like you who are listening in on this call. The future of our children, our grandchildren and our great grandchildren is with each one of us.

I remember reading in the Bible about a time when the Jews were going to be annihilated and the King of Persia had given that edict because he was motivated by cruel men who wanted to see the end of this nation. One of them came to the Queen (who happened to be a Jew but the King didn’t know it) and he told her, “Who knows but you haven’t attained this place of royalty for such a time as this?” Esther 4:14. To approach the king, to do something about it, to take your life in your hands for something substantial, something significant, who knows you aren’t in this place for such a time as this?

Jawaharlal Nehru, our first Prime Minister, said this, “A moment comes, which comes but rarely in history, when we step out from the old to the new; when an age ends; and when the soul of a nation long suppressed, finds utterance.”

Perhaps, my friends, this is your time. This is the time to step out from the old into the new. This is your time to write a new chapter in the history of our nation. Maybe you have your position given to you by God for such a time as this. And let it not be said by generations that come, that our generation had the opportunity but we let it go by. Let it be said of our children and our children’s children, that this was a generation that walked tall, who made giant strides in history, who seized the opportunity and made it a better place for us.

That’s my thought and that’s my prayer for the country and for each on of us who are Indians and proud to be so, that God Almighty would bless us and bless our nation.

May God bless you all.