Deepak Dwivedi
CIVILISATIONAL awakening is a theme that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has often invoked, right from his first Independence Day address in 2014. The unprecedented response to his call for Har Ghar Tiranga campaign on the 78th Independence Day shows the massage has percolated down to every nook and corner of the country. India’s 5,000-year old civilisation presents a template and home for each identity. It provides a glue for various religions, languages and ideologies to co-exist. PM Modi’s return to power for a historic third term as India’s Prime Minister is proof that the people stand united behind him to protect, preserve and promote the nation’s core values of democracy and inclusive development.
While making the case for India to reclaim its civilisational greatness, PM Modi has also alluded to the changing global order and India’s role in it. The year 2024 holds a special significance for this. In a year where democratic order in other parts of the world is facing serious political and economic challenges, India stands out as a beacon of democracy. The nation has emerged as the fastest-growing economy in the world. Its vision of the global order is harmonious and its model of inclusive development by combining traditional value system with modernity and innovation has become the envy of other nations.
It was from the same platform of Red Fort on India’s Independence Day in 2021 that PM Modi laid out the vision for Azadi ka Amrit kaal (golden period of India’s Independence). Amrit kaal refers to the 25- year period in the run-up 2047, when India will celebrate the 100th anniversary of its independence. According to PM Modi, this period is crucial for India because its achievements in this tenure will pave the way for the country to become a major power in the new global order. Making India a major power by 2047 has become a goal for the country’s economic as well as foreign policy. He reiterated this vision in his I-Day address last year.
While drawing attention to India’s demographic dividend, its status as home to one of the youngest populations in the world and its position as the fifth-largest economy, PM Modi spoke about how the foundations being laid in the past decade have the potential to lift India from a position of irrelevance to an international system-shaping ability in the future. For him, India’s past was tragic. India has a 1,000-year-old history of invasions, but the next 1,000 years are going to be about its resurgence and civilisational awakening.
During the last ten years, India has transformed in every sphere. Over a crore people have risen above poverty. India’s innovative practices such as pro-people good governance, aspirational districts, and aspirational blocks are being discussed globally. The Government’s initiative to ensure last-mile delivery of its schemes have inspired the world. The Digital India campaign has shown how technology can be used to empower the poor, bring transparency, and ensure their rights. The whole world is witnessing and studying the democratisation of technology, and major global institutions are advising many countries to adopt elements from the Indian model. The Independence Day reminds us of sacrifices made by freedom fighters; celebrating it calls for sustained commitment to preserve and protect their contributions.
