Independence is the state of being independent. Dr. B R Ambedkar once said “Unlike a drop of water which loses its identity when it joins the ocean, man does not lose his being in the society in which he lives. Man's life is independent. He is born not for the development of the society alone, but for the development of himself.” So, after a particular stage of life, we learn to live independently. In the same way India got its independence on 15th August 1947; 70 years ago.

Many years ago most places in India were under the captivity of the British. Some other countries like Portuguese and French too invaded India and captured small parts of India.

Since the time India got independence India has been making new constitutions, laws and regulations and modifying them according to the need of the people. Let us understand this concept better with help of an example. When water is heated it is hot. But when you stop heating it, it will become cold. In the same way, when the rules of a country are amended according to the needs of its people and its development, the country will prosper.

Let us take a look at some of the changes.

The 5 pillars of a successful country are:-

I.EDUCATION

Many children in India were not attending school in the initial years after independence because many people weren’t aware of the importance of education. Poverty was another factor which restricted people from sending their children to schools. To solve this problem, the government made government schools which are run by them. The good thing about these schools is most school’s fees are very low and some don’t take any fees. Indian government also provides scholarships for children who excel in academics to study abroad.Not only this, but by 2017 India has managed to provide primary education in almost all parts of India. Many Indian universities have collaborated with famous international universities to improve their teaching efficiency.

II.HEALTH CARE

India has taken large steps in health care. In 1950 there were only 2717 hospitals in India. But in 2000 it grew up to 18218 hospitals. The death rate of Indians has reducedfrom 27.4 in 1951 to 8.7 in 2000. An initiative named “pulse polio” was taken by Indian government in1978 to eradicate polio. After 6 years India was able to give these vaccines to around 40% of the infants born. Swaach Bharat Abhiyan (Clean India movement) is a campaign by the Indian government to clean the streets and roads of the country’s cities. The campaign was launched on 2 October 2014, by the Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

III.SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

Science and technology is a field which needs a lot of money to grow in a country. So India was lagging behind in this field as India’s economy was weak. But after independence India’s economy grew and India had a chance to reach the top of the world of science and technology. India took up the chance and now has a lot of equipment for different purposes and tasks. To make this dream possible, the government held different campaigns like Digital India, Smart cities in India etc. In the field of space technology India developed drastically over these years. Recently Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) launched Mangalyan which was a milestone in world’s space technology. Today most of the developed countries depend on India to launch their space satellites at optimal cost.

IV.INFRASTRUCTURE

After independence, India started taking huge leaps in infrastructure to make India better. One of the steps is model village. Model village is a development program for the rural areas focusing on spreading motivation among the people in social mobilizing. The program was launched on 11th October 2014; marking the birth anniversary of Jayaprakash Narayan. When we look into airports, we can see that India is the first country to have an airport completely powered by solar energy. India has made new metro rail to reduce traffic in the country. India also made many new and long roads for connectivity.

V.ECONOMY

After independence India’s economy expanded from Rs.2.7 lakh crore to Rs. 57 lakh crore. India is said to be the fastest growing economy by having the highest GDP growth rate close to 7% per annum. This was possible due to the structural changes made by the government of India such as Globalization during 1990s. India also made government campaigns like startup India, Make in India etc. Make in India is an initiative taken by the government to encourage international as well as national companies to make their products in India so that the Indian economy grows. It was launchedin September 2014. Startup India is an initiative taken by the Indian government to increase rate of employment. India has one of the fastest growing service sectors at an annual rate of 9% for more than a decade.

“As you sow so shall you reap” says the Bible.

The long term economic growth is seen due to domestic young population and increased shared in the global economy. Indian economy has the potential to grow to the third largest in the world by the next decade.

I am proud that I am an Indian and part of such a fast developing country in all aspects of human values and pride!