Mahatma Gandhi rightly said, “The future depends on what you do today.”
• This was exactly what was on the minds of Mahatma Gandhi, Chandra Shekhar Azad, Rani Laxmi Bai, Birsa Munda and all the other brave freedom fighters when they fought for the freedom of this land.
• The future depends on what I do today is what was on the mind of Dr. Bhimrao Ambedkar when he started framing the constitution for independent India.
• The future depends on what I do today is what MS Swaminathan thought when he brought food-deficient India out of hunger with his green revolution.
• The future depends on what I do today is what Indira Gandhi and Pratibha Patil thought when they became the first female Prime Minister and President of India.
• The future depends on what I do today is what Rakesh Sharma thought when he became the first Indian to go into space.
• The future depends on what I do today is what Kapil Dev and his team thought when they won the cricket World Cup for the first time.
• The future depends on what we do today is what Dr. Abdul Kalam and Dr. R. Chidambaram had in mind when they conducted nuclear tests, dubbed “Pokhran-II.”
• The future depends on what I do today is what President Draupadi Murmu thought when she became the first tribal President of India.
The list doesn’t end here; it goes on and on about celebrated and uncelebrated heroes and their achievements. Today, we witness India completing 76 years and achieving milestones that were once considered unattainable. Today, I can proudly stand here and narrate the journey of India going from “What can India do?” to “What can’t India do?” From “What has India done?” to “What all things India has done in all these years!”
Bharat, which is India, known as a mere colony of the British, stands with its new and unique identity today. But, it wasn’t the same a few decades ago. India, a newly independent land with so much diversity and challenges such as poverty, inequality, and social issues, was expected to be left behind in the coming years. Instead, this became a period of remarkable progress and growth. Emerging from the shackles of colonial rule, we became a sovereign nation, nurturing the ideals of democracy, secularism, and unity in diversity.
Yes, around the world, where other countries measure their strength and achievements with their scientific advancements, technological innovations, and strong economies, India has achieved milestones beyond these aspects. On one hand, where India launched its first space satellite Aryabhatta in 1975 and the most recent one in 2023, with many in between, and lifted 415 million out of poverty within 15 years between 2005 and 2021, India has thrived. From becoming one of the countries in the world to make education a fundamental right in 2010 to having the largest rail network in Asia, India has thrived. From struggling with major healthcare issues, low life expectancy to supplying doses of COVID vaccines to 94 countries, India has thrived. From enabling Swachh Bharat Abhiyan to empowering women through self-help groups, India has thrived. From giving its citizens the right to freely protest, follow, or express their opinions anywhere and everywhere to uniting the other countries of the world under it’s concept of Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam, India has thrived. From being an underdeveloped country to becoming one of the fastest developing countries of the world, India has thrived and will strive to thrive in the future as well.
However, as we celebrate India at 76, we must also acknowledge the challenges that lie ahead. Despite our achievements, we are confronted with issues such as inequality, environmental degradation, and social unrest, etc.
Seventy-six years ago, our forefathers embarked on a remarkable journey – a journey towards freedom, equality, and progress. Hence, now it is our duty to take on the responsibility of further improving the status of this country and accomplishing these goals because THE FUTURE DEPENDS ON WHAT WE DO TODAY!!
-Anshul Bhati