Aazaad
60 years ago, on this day, a united India was granted independence from British rule. A partition of that united country followed - a Hindu-majority secular country called India and a Muslim-majority Islamic country called Pakistan.
It was a bloody partition - Hindu nationalists didn't want to give into the demands of the Muslims for a separate Muslim country so Muslims who were migrating west towards the new Land of the Pure, Pakistan were slaughtered on trains headed for Paksitan. In turn, the Muslims already in Pakistan drove Hindus out from their homes in Pakistan and basically told them to piss off. Today, India has more than three times the number of Muslims than Pakistan does.
Anyways, I've been thinking that the Brits left us independent prematurely. I'm proud to be an Indian, I really am, but there are some things about my country that bother me and I think they wouldn't exist or at least wouldn't be as acute as they are today if the Brits hadn't left us so soon. Those of you who know me well know that I don't like musing on 'what if...' situations because it's a waste of time: it didn't happen and we are in this situation, not that; so move on and do what you can to improve your situation. But here are my 'what if...' thoughts anyway:
- Population crisis: We crossed the one billion mark in 2001. Back then we celebrated, oh wow yaar, 100 crore people, we'll beat those Cheenis [Chinese] in no time. If you ever visit an Indian city you'll realize that there's no reason to celebrate the population burst. I love children, but we could have less and still be a happy nation. My extended family is a prime example of Indian fertility - one couple from my grandfather's generation had 18 children. Eighteen! With less children to take care of, there would be less homeless people, less poverty and definitely better education.
If the Brits were still around, I'm sure they would have thought of introducing birth control measures sooner. - India-Pakistan crisis: Pakistan as a separate nation has been a thorn in the side [literally!] of India. Their constant bickering about handing over Kashmir to them and our counter-bickering that Kashmir is ours, dammit has led to three generations of bitter mistrust between the two nations. When they finally got part of Kashmir, the Pakistanis renamed it 'Aazaad Kashmir' - 'Liberated Kashmir'. Excuse me, we weren't occupying it. Today, Kashmiris want their own nation, none of this Paki Indian bullshit. Kashmir is beautiful and if only those selfish pricks in the governments of both countries had realized that in 1947, Kashmir would today be a mega tourist spot generating extra income which both countries could share. Instead, it's under constant vigil by both armies and is teeming with Islamic and Hindu extremists.
If the Brits were still around, I believe there would be no dispute, because even though a separate state for the Muslims would exist at their own behest, it would still be just a state, not a sovereign nation. That way the bickering would be kept to a minimum and Kashmir would still be whole and unmolested. - Corruption: This probably bothers me the most out of all the factors. It's ironic how Indians were literally dying to be liberated from the shackles of the goree sarkaar, the White Government and when they were independent of the Brits, they became dependent on corruption to feed their families. Corruption runs amok in my country. If you drive a car or ride a scooter without a license and get caught, you can slip the investigating traffic policeman a bill of an appropriate denomination and go free. Embezzlement of money from funds provided by the government for a project is a national sport. Result? Two-lane highways [one for each direction!], rubbish pensions, ill-equipped or even non-existent public schools [all my cousins went/go to private schools] and poor health care for the people who need it most.
If the Brits were still around, corruption would definitely be under control mostly because only the best Indians [like our current prime minister, Manmohan Singh] would get appointed - not elected - to high positions.
But here's the thing: however cruel, however racist the Brits may have been towards us, they would have eventually come around [because of internal and international pressure] to giving us Indians the rights that we deserve while continuing to manage the 'jewel in the crown' like their own country and I'm sure that India would be in a much better place today economically, politically and demographically had the Brits not left.
स्वतन्त्र िदवस की शुभकाम्नाएँ! Happy Independence Day! !آزادي مبارك