Democracy is a form of government which is for the people, by the people and of the people. Here people hold power directly or through elected representatives. Modern democracy was evolved out of demand for equality politically, legally, socially and economically.
As India gained independence in 1947 she started planning her own future with the constituent Assembly adopting the new constitution of India on 26th January 1950. Then came into being the concern for shaping up her future. The first step in this direction was the introduction of the planning programmes that would continue till future. The first five year plan came into force in 1951. The hurdles in the way were numerous. There was resentment and aggression from the neighbours Pakistan, China etc were out in the field in the form of Partition etc. the time was marked with conflicts with and within India.
The Indian government was headed by Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru who was a great visionary and had set a vision for India. The principles of panchsheel were given out in January 1954 which formed the basis of non-alignment policy and and India started a league of its own. It was agreed that no no-aligned country could enter into a defence treaty with any country in the context of superpower rivalry. It gave the country a boost and she was able to fight against all evils of the time and went on with its preaching’s.
After setting her foreign policies she now turned towards the problems of the home. Caste system, agrarian class structure, multiplicity of religions and many other obstacles on the way she had to reformulate the objectives of the policies. The new policies would have to be at par with the foreigners, our age old culture and also the modern era to come. The foreign effect was the result of the long rule of the britishers which agitated the youth to go against the orthodox ways of living. On one hand there was rejection and criticism of the new policies whereas on the other it was that the youth were also encouraging widow remarriages, women education, abolition of untouchability etc. India did not accept this transformation from sanskritisation to westernization with ease as there was a diversity in her cultures rather adopted a secular outlook which preaches equality in religions.
Next came the planning phase for making her industrially stable by tackling issues from every aspect of society. This effort led to urbanization which offered a new lease of life to the rural class who could now experience the city life and earn their living too. This step on the negative side resulted in pressure in the urban areas concerning living conditions, environmental conditions. People were made to understand the importance of literacy and promoted universal and free education, adult education etc. Later correspondence education emerged as a gift for the class of people who were not able to attend regular classes for any personal problems.
The motto of ‘Learn while you earn’ was showing on the face of India now but were still waiting a huge box of problems of suicides, crimes, drugs, juvenile delinquency, sex vices, dowry crimes, poverty, unemployment etc to name a few. The sense of being a global citizen has come to every citizen now when even language barriers are crossed as same languages are spoken around the continents and westernization has broadened the horizon. Even today natural calamities like floods, cyclones etc may delay but not retard India’s progress. On the nuclear front India ranks amongst the topmost. With all this we must feel proud of our democracy. The party feuds, frequent elections and terrorism are general and cannot hinder the nation’s growth. We have proved almost at par to the developed nations of the world in all aspects. We have achieved more than we have thought of 60 years back.
