English Essay on “After 70 Years of Independence” Complete Essay, Paragraph, Speech for Class 10, Class 12 and Graduation and other classes.

After 70 Years of Independence

India’s achievement of independence is a landmark event of the twentieth century. It marked the beginning of the end of colonialism, which had engulfed much of the globe, and held large populations under its sway for over four hundred years. In less than fifty years since India’s independence, the last of the colonial bastions – in South Africa – collapsed, to rid the world of one of its longstanding curses entirely.

India’s independence movement is unique in that it was the first, and is so far the only freedom struggle that was predominantly non-violent. The form of a united India, as we experience now, was nowhere in the picture until the early decades of the twentieth century, and was, therefore, not thought durable, if not possible. But after nearly fifty years, India not only remains united, but also enjoys a level of prosperity that matches its modest desires, while functioning within a democratic framework, and with modern, civilized aspirations. A good portion of the credit for India’s stability and well-being goes to the great leaders of the freedom movement, as well as to those that governed India in the early years of Independence. After solving the crises of ‘Partition’, that followed Independence, the leadership laid the foundation of a tolerant and vibrant democratic polity, which, despite numerous challenges, continues to uphold the ideals it stands for.

The vast pool of skilled manpower and matching volumes of natural resources have helped India develop into one among the ten most industrialized countries of the world.

An important feature of India’s industrial development is that the country manages to keep its dependence on other countries to the minimum possible extent. Even though we cannot match the advanced countries in the quality of our products, we believe in meeting all our needs by indigenous efforts. India was, until recently, the only country in Asia, outside of China and Japan, that manufactured motor cars. Our self-reliance and the resilience of a well-diversified industrial and infrastructure base will hopefully secure us against the adverse effects of any future crises.

Matching the buoyancy of our growth in the industrial sector is the encouraging progress we have made in agriculture. The ‘Green Revolution’, which raised crop output to unexpected levels, transformed the agricultural system drastically in the early seventies. From being an importer of food grains in the early years of Independence, we are now able to generate enough surplus to export food grains to other countries.

But unfortunately, the enthusiasm that helped us realize progress in the industrial and agricultural sectors did not extend to the field of education. It is a sad reflection of the state of education in India, that even after more than fifty years, hardly half the population can read and write. Several social customs and prejudices that we inherited from the past are given as reasons for the poor state of our education scene. But after over five decades of Independence, it is unwise of us to talk of past prejudices. It is time we overcame the social stigmas that discouraged education, to popularize its virtues and benefits all over the country. The causes of our problems, like population explosion, poor health-consciousness, poverty and unemployment, can be traced to the illiteracy and ignorance that prevail in our society. When we consider the fact that only about half our population contributes meaningfully to our development, we know that our true potential is much more than what we have realized so far. We should modify our plans and priorities so that the people’s contribution to progress and the share of its benefits they enjoy are more equitable. In other words, the anachronism between space research, satellite launches and advanced communication systems on the one side, and poverty and illiteracy on the other, should end.

Another disturbing feature of modern Indian society is the declining standards of the political system. Although the system is still based on democracy, a general decline in the quality of administration and leadership has been in evidence for the past few decades. The morality, sincerity and dedication of our early leaders are fast giving way to the corrupt and complacent governance of the present. As a result, many of the social ills, like casteism and communalism, which we thought we had solved, are now enjoying a revival.

But all these drawbacks should not unnerve us. We have had setbacks in the past, which we were able to overcome quite remarkably. Compared to the trauma of `Partition’ the challenges we faced from time to time because of recurring natural calamities, and the destruction and economic disruption the wars against Pakistan and China caused; all of which we endured and subdued successfully, the present problems are not so discouraging as to seem unsolvable. We shall tackle the latest bout of problems as we did the ones mentioned. Our faith in ourselves, and our courage and optimism, shall hopefully see us pass several more half-century milestones in the future.