60th Republic Day

Today is Republic day. India adopted its own constitution sixty years ago. In celebration today was declared a public holiday and brass bands took to the streets, marching around the major cities. In certain areas free food was given to create a street party atmosphere. Here in Kolkata, it provided the children and massis a few minutes of entertainment as the beats of the drums and bellows of the trumpets called people to attention as they rushed to the windows to see the annual event walk by. Deepa sat in her chair, momentarily distracted from the task at hand (finding the bowl with the spoon and then making the journey back to her mouth). The tricolour flag of orange, white and green with Gandhi's spinning wheel in the centre, was raised throughout the city. Small poles where erected in the middle of roads, and many were accompanied with little decorations, including one flag flying high over a makeshift battle field, where toy soldiers and tanks fought amidst the small puddle of sand.

India actually obtained independence on 15 August 1947, after the British colonial powers relinquished its authority, unable to continue to justify its occupation, especially in the face of Gandhi's effective and peaceful push for liberation. The real celebration is therefore in the summer, and today's was a smaller reminder of India's historical achievement, as the adoption of its own constitution reaffirmed India's commitment to democracy. Despite the grafting of the political system and the gradual implementation of an inclusive electoral mandate, the democratisation of such a huge populas was and continues to be a hugely ambitious achievement. Sir Anthony Eden, the Prime Minister of Britain (April 1955 to January 1957), called the creation of an Indian Republic 'brave' with secondary democratic knock on effects for its neighbours:

"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 honour those who attempt it.”

Now with a population encroaching one billion India proclaims itself as the world's largest democracy. Part of India's success is through devolved power to state governments, although providing a sense of valued representation to its rich and varied cultural, social and religious groups requires continuous readjustments. There are more than a dozen states who continue to lobby for the creation of a separate state, such as 'Gorkaland' in West Bengal and Coorg in Karnataka. However, there is no doubt that India's economy is carrying her into the global age of high technology and international stock markets, which has the potential to gradually erase deeply entrenched socio-economic groups left over from the traditional caste system. In the meanwhile, the poverty gap continues to widen, while tension with Pakistan threatens to breed fear within the population and whispers of religious discontent. This leaves the central government in a difficult position of 'protecting' against possible terrorist attacks, while continuing to calm any religious tension between its Hindu and Muslim nationals. As a refuge to the Dali Lama, with a large indigenous and refugee Muslim population, as well as home to Hinduism and a scattering of Christian communities from the day of the Portugese and colonial missionaries, India is setting the example of how a secular state, can work to erase tension on religious grounds. Perhaps the external threat of attack is a means to achieve this, as heightened terror alerts have becoming increasingly frequent, especially since last years Bombay bombings. Republic Day has brought its own terror alerts, and around the country security was stepped up and extra precautions taken. This even included a rather bizarre threat of a likely terror attack by paragliders so paragliding has been banned for 15 days around Mumbai.

Republic Day provides an opportunity to touch base with the ideals which the modern nation was founded upon, and a renewed commitment to continue to work towards them – paragliding or no paragliding...