Indy Telecom & Industrial Media

A moment comes, which comes but rarely in history, when we step out from the old to the new, when an age ends, and when the soul of a nation, long supressed, finds utterance. — Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru

59 years ago, a young democracy was born from a people of such diverse cultures that nobody believed that it could last very long. This democracy had Hindus, Muslims, Sikhs, Christians, Jews, Buddhists, Jains, Parsis; it had folks that spoke no less than a few hundred languages and dialects — it had such diversity that each part of it could be a nation on to its own.

Today, all these years later, it is a land where for all its flaws, democracy still works. Unlike its neighbour which was founded on religion, India was born secular, with an implicit constitution to accept people of all backgrounds and beliefs. Unlike its neighbour which has had military dictators overthrow democracy ever so often, it is a democracy where its 14th Prime Minister was just elected.

In a nation of predominantly Hindus, this fledgling democracy has a Sikh Prime Minister who is an economist and a professor to boot, a Muslim President who is vegetarian and a rocket scientist and a Roman Catholic caucasian female ruling party president. Despite the odds, it has made strides in every walk of life — social, economic, scientific.

There are a lot of things that make me cringe when I think of who I’m, but for all its flaws and faults, I’m proud of what and who I’m — no matter where I go or what I end up as, I will always be an Indian.

Here’s to home, and what it stands for. And on this day, celebrating the birth of India, here is something that will bring a smile to your face — something from the days gone by — Ek Titli, Anek Titiliyan!