To recall Jawaharlal Nehru's immortal imagery, in 1947, as the world slept, India awoke to "life and freedom". Over the past 12 months, as the world celebrated the golden jubilee of the epochal event, India slept.Truly, India has marked the 50th birthday of its independence with an extraordinary blandness. The rest of the world usually begins such festivities on the 49th anniversary and takes them to a climax on the 50th. India - civilisation's eternal - contrarion decided to be different and commenced the celebrations on the 50th birthday. Initially, it was sought to be justified in terms of ancient Hindu concepts of chronology. In reality, the bureaucrats had simply forgotten to plan. This nonchalance has been evident every single day since August 15, 1997. On that day itself, there was a spontaneity to the Indians' expression of pride in his or her nation. It was best manifested by A.R. Rahman's evocative rendering of Ma tujhe salaam, watched and heard by thousands in Delhi and tens of thousands on television. Despite the usual fumbling, the inaugural had been propitious. After that it was all downhill. The passion, the energies and the sheer patriotism of the people of India were waiting to be harnessed after that magical August night a year ago. If the government failed to do so, it has only itself to blame. .preferred-source-banner{ margin-top: 10px; margin-bottom:10px;}India will remember - or prefer to forget - its golden year as one in which legislators broke all vows of decorous behaviour, elections were viciously violent, economic indices sought new depths and Justice M.C. Jain did to judicial investigations what Jack the Ripper did to after-dinner strolls. True, there was the brilliance of Sachin Tendulkar, the scientific success of Pokhran. Yet, all of this may have occurred in any ordinary year. India will leave no distinctive stamp on this special one. Anyhow, tomorrow is another day; there's still 2047 to look forward to.Published By: AtMigration Published On: Aug 17, 1998--- ENDS ---
