Revisiting Seven Decades of India’s Achievements and Challenges

As India commemorates its 75th year of independence this essay seeks to take stock of the achievements, challenges and failures of the Indian Republic. Through an sweeping reading of political history of India and focus on specific historical moments it builds a narrative of the journey. The essay highlights the successes of democracy, limited welfarism and political management of conflicts ensuring territorial integrity. These successes, however, run the risk of being undermined with contemporary challenges to the core values of the republic. The essay contributes to the political discourse on India at three levels, first it provides a historical narrative and scrutinises the achievement/ failures of the Indian State against the promises of the republic; second, it provides an analysis of the structural features underpinning the political narrative and third, it highlights the transient nature of republics in general through a reading of the Indian case. Keywords: India; historical and political narrative; democracy; 75th years of independence