Click here to advertise

Is India really Independent? The

answer depends on the definition of Top of Form
Independence and Freedom… Search
Sudhir Chadda, Special Correspondent
August 15, 2004

How many years are

we independent?
Bottom of Form
Fifty-seven years you
say! Well your math is
Send Letters to the Editor right. Have you ever
consulted the Add RSS headlines
dictionary to find the
meaning of
independence! Well
you are not alone.
Many of us assume
we attained our
independence in
1947! Are we really
independent?

Well that depends. A country cannot be independent till

it can freely express its opinion and act based on its
national and strategic interests. Is Iraq an independent
nation? Why not? Well you say their Government is
hand picked exiled puppets of America. Well it is true!
Then who is Manmohan Singh? Can he or Vajpayee
ever really oppose Iraq war knowing very well that
Saddam was India’s real friend! Well why are we
negotiating with Pakistan knowing very well what
Pakistanis are up to! Well you will say it is better to live
in peace with neighbors! Well that is what Pandit Nehru
and Natwar Singh said in early fifties about Pancha Seal
with China! Did the Chinese give a damn about India in
1962?

Then tell me what will make you happy to call India an

independent nation! First, we must be a self-sustaining
nation with least dependence on foreign culture, money,
power and influence. Let us start with culture – are we
not eager to shed our “ego and parampara” and
embrace the Americanism for money and status
symbol? Money – isn’t our national reserve dependent
on how much foreign money comes through foreign
institutional investments? Let us take power – did we
not withdraw from Kashmir border on insistence of
America? Did we not settle in Kargil and not cross the
LOC because of what the super powers will do in United
Nation? Are we not compromising with China to keep
America and Pakistan in check? Well you will say this is
part of diplomacy! Influence – Whom do we influence? I
tried to dig up Indiadaily archive for the last five years
and found that only Bangladesh and a few African
countries – we gave them some money to build their
railways! Then I found that we really never gave them
the money – just proposed and they are nervous about
accepting the same!

So are we really independent? Let me tell you “yes” –

we are independent according to the definition’s
minimum benchmark. We have an independent army,
our people think that we are independent and we have
an independent political system.

So what will make us really independent? Who is really

independent? Is even America independent?

America is not really independent. It is dependent on

imported crude oil. And that is causing a major havoc in
American life. That is the root cause of problems in
9/11, Palestine-Israel, Middle East and Iraq! Russia
probably is more independent. It has every thing it
needs for self-sustaining. One thing is missing though!
Pride among its citizen and self-realization that how
strong Russia is. Russia has all mineral resources,
nuclear, space and high tech, highly technical and
skilled labor force, enough crude oil to feed the rest of
the world and relatively strong military power to resist
any aggression on its homeland. China is also strong
but not as good as Russia. US is of course strong and
independent except it does not have the oil and US
citizens are financially weaker due to excessive
borrowing and massive debt ridden infrastructure.

So when will you call India an independent nation?

Well first India must be a member of the Security

Council with full veto power. Second, her economy must
not be dependent on any one else’s. The myth that
 outsourcing jobs may make India an economic
superpower is bogus! India should make goods and
services on her own and other countries should be
eager to buy that! That is what happens in Japan – yes
that is what I mean! Third, we should invest and
research in alternative fuel. Like America India is
dependent on imported Petroleum and that has to go.
India should move ahead and start using Hydrogen as
an alternative fuel and show the world that it is a leading
super power. Forth, Indians do not need to leave their
own country to earn some dollars or euros or yens.
Indians must be proud to be in their nation contributing
to mother India. Let me tell you a real life incident! I
know of a person who was a top class graduate in
electronics engineering from IIT. He worked as a top
instrumentation engineer in Indian Space Research
Organization under Kalam our current president. In mid
eighties, he resigned from ISRO and migrated to
America. He worked for several American companies.
Finally he worked for AT&T Bell laboratories (currently
under Lucent Technologies). He was one of the finest
engineers Mother India has ever produced. Lucent went
down financially and so did AT&T. He was fired from
Lucent in 2003. Till date he never found any
professional employment in US! He is unemployed and
still looking for prosperity in America while his family
eagerly waits to live a dignified life. This is not an
isolated story. This has happened again and again all
over America to thousands and thousands of Indians.
Fifth, India should start acting like a super power. For
example, like France, China and Russia India must say
clearly to George Bush – we do not like what you did in
Iraq and want you leave them alone! There is no need
to create a farce on sending army to Iraq under US
command. Americans do not like that either! If India
continues to play these games, more Fernandes strip-
searching will continue all over the world. Sixth, Indian
businesses should behave in a matured way. Quick
money schemes cannot make anyone independent! The
NRI businesses in US and UK and other nations have
only worked on quick money schemes. Why is it that
India has no cars made out of indigenous design? In
seventies we had some of our own design. Where is
that spirit? Collaboration with Japanese, Europeans and
Americans are the name of the game today. Are we not
trying to become another Thailand or Singapore? Do
you call those nations independent – well may be! That
is why I say whether India is independent or not
depends upon how you define independence and
freedom!

Close Window