15/08/2026
80th Independence Day
India is not merely a nation-state, it is a nation-state with multiple identities. Therefore, whenever we try to understand the diverse society of India, we often refer to the “salad bowl theory”.
Today, India celebrates its 80th Independence Day as the world’s fifth-largest economy in terms of GDP, the fifth-largest military spender in the world, and a leader and voice of the Global South. India has emerged as one of the key actors in global affairs and the world’s largest democracy. It has often emerged with slogans like “Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas” and philosophies like “Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam”, and many more…..
However, the India we see today is not the same as the India of 80 years ago. Approximately 79 years ago, India gained independence after a prolonged period of British colonial rule.
Today, we celebrate Gandhi’s non-violence, Ambedkar’s Constitution, Patel’s unity, Nehru’s vision, and many more. However, the way we celebrate Independence Day today may make us overlook the fact that independence was not only about freedom from prolonged British rule, but also about freedom from a caste-based society, class-based discrimination, and the creation of a society with no discrimination on the basis of race, gender, caste, place of birth, religion, or any other ground. Thereby, providing economic freedom, political freedom and a socially just society.
Furthermore, in the last 79 years, India has successfully achieved land reforms, the Green Revolution, economic reforms through liberalisation, privatisation and globalisation (LPG), the opening up of the economy, space exploration, nuclear capabilities, the invention of UPI payments, and many more achievements.
Notwithstanding these achievements, we have also seen challenges to the progress of our country in the last 79 years. There was a time that we, as Indians, would not want to recall—the imposition of the Emergency in 1975. We have witnessed communal riots on religious grounds, protests following the Mandal Commission recommendations regarding OBC reservations, and recent protests on various social and political issues. We have also seen our democracy evolving through landmark judicial cases such as the Golaknath case and the Kesavananda Bharati case, which eventually led to the emergence of the Basic Structure Doctrine. The ADM Jabalpur case also remains an important reminder of the vulnerability of fundamental rights during the Emergency. These cases and developments have shaped and strengthened Indian democracy.
Therefore, in the coming years, I hope India will return to and fulfil its constitutional ethos:
Justice — social, economic and political.
Liberty — of thought, expression, belief, faith and worship.
Equality — of status and of opportunity.
Fraternity — assuring the dignity of the individual and the unity and integrity of the nation, as enshrined in the Preamble of the Indian Constitution.
With this, I would like to wish every Indians a happy 80th Independence Day.🇮🇳🇮🇳
