#181 We Shall Overcome
Yabi Lali
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<strong>Happy Independence Day!</strong><br/><br/>- <em>Pranay Kotasthane and RSJ</em><br/><br/>This newsletter can often seem pessimistic about India. That isn’t true, though. Every year, on Independence Day, we remind ourselves and our readers why we write this newsletter. This is how we <a target="_blank" href="https://publicpolicy.substack.com/p/60-because-its-worth-it">ended</a> the Independence Day edition of 2020:<br/><br/>“What we have achieved so far is precious. That’s worth reminding ourselves today. We will go back to writing future editions lamenting our state of affairs.<br/><br/>We will do so because we know it’s worth it.”  <br/><br/>This year we thought it would be fun (?) to run through every year since 1947 and ask ourselves what happened in the year that had long-term repercussions for our nation. This kind of thing runs a serious risk. It can get tedious and all too familiar. Most of us know the landmark events of recent history and what they meant for the nation. <br/><br/>Maybe. Maybe not. <br/><br/>We’ve given an honest try (of over 8000 words) to see if there’s a different way of looking at these familiar events and their impact on us. Here we go.<br/><br/><strong>1947 - 1960: Sense Of A Beginning </strong><br/><br/><strong>1947</strong><br/><br/>Perhaps the most significant “What, if?” question for independent India surfaced on 17th August 1947 when the Radcliffe Line was announced. The partition of the Indian subcontinent has cast a long shadow. What if it had never happened? What if Nehru-Jinnah-Gandhi were able to strike a <em>modus vivendi </em>within a one-federation framework? These questions surface every year around independence.<br/><br/>The indelible human tragedy of the partition aside, would an <em>Akhand Bharat </em>have served its citizens better? We don’t think so. We agree with Ambedkar’s assessment of this question. In <a target="_blank" href="http://www.columbia.edu/itc/mealac/pri
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alice.wave
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