The unfinished tryst

We need to mature into a democracy that gives a voice, an economy that lifts masses out of poverty

Seventy years ago, on this day, was our tryst with destiny. The hopes, articulated forcefully by Pandit Nehru in that great speech, seemed reasonable and reachable for those of us who grew up in that era. How far have these hopes been met and how far belied?

The consolidation of parliamentary democracy was perhaps the most significant achievement of this era. The effectiveness of the political process in maintaining national unity was seen in the rapid integration of Princely States by Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel and the management of the linguistic reorganisation of states by Gobind Ballabh Pant. The legislative achievements of