I was born a little more than a decade after Independence. We became a self-governed country with a bend towards the socialist model. Though there were people who thought that the country was better managed by the British, generally, there was euphoria in the air. Youngsters looked forward to the Government creating enough employment. The Government did not disappoint. There was substantial investment across diverse sectors. I was born, then studied, secured a good Government job, and spent my entire professional journey almost under the same political ideology. I was already out of the professional rat race by the time the political dispensation changed. I was in a position to look at the developments more dispassionately.
However, I was also influenced by the glasses that I had worn for a better part of my life. I was upset by statements I considered to be backwards-looking. A few talked about our glory during the Vedic times. I have considered myself forward-looking and have often scoffed at people who speak of our past glory without considering the progress we have made due to science and technology. I would conveniently forget my prejudices. I was no better. The recent war changed my perspective. I was proud of the decisive action taken by us. I reflected upon the factors that made us achieve success. I am happy I thought rationally. It helped me overcome earlier biases. We had Gurukuls in times past. These residential schools existed since Vedic times till the mid-nineteenth century. The Britishers are blamed for the decline or even destruction of the Gurukuls. The earlier education was holistic, with an emphasis on all-round development. The medium of instruction was Sanskrit. A few stories from our epics indicate that these institutions mostly catered to the elite males of society — the royals, the priests, and the warriors. The other classes of society, as well as women, did not have the benefit of this schooling. We probably had around a million of these schools by the 19th century. Certain classes and even women were still excluded.
The medium of teaching in the British system was English. They likely had an ulterior motive — to educate and create an exclusive local community to further their colonial rule. Less than a century later, the same set of people, through the same education system, would rise and gain Independence. Entire generations, irrespective of class or caste or gender or religion, would be educated in the coming decades after Independence. They would learn science and technology to establish manufacturing facilities to produce steel, cement, fertilisers, medicines, seeds, dairy, and much more. Within half a century of Independence, our youngsters would excel in the revolutionary software technology that would drive the engines of the economy globally. The same education system would be exploited to create a cashless economy. It would help innumerable youngsters gain sustainable employment locally through opportunities created indigenously — Vocal for Local or Make in India are examples. An education system, imposed upon the population by the British for their benefit, has been turned around to create a more developed country. The second example is that of the ordnance factories. This was another institution created by the British with the twin objectives of exploiting the available resources to subjugate the local population and to help them in their war games.
Post-Independence, Governments invested not only in maintaining these plants but also in absorbing the latest technology from the more developed countries and improving upon it. These are only two of the examples that helped us come out as winners in the war. Railways, infrastructure, roads, use of technology in agriculture, better and affordable medicines, and a lot more are all examples of our building a strong edifice on the foundations laid in the past, which started with education. I realise that what I call an edifice today is also a foundation for something bigger to come up in future. We should understand that the past is not redundant, and the present is not evil. We are good today because we built upon yesterday. We will be better tomorrow because of the present. We should learn from experience, discard that which is no longer relevant, retain the good to adapt and build a new present, laying the foundation for a better future.
(The author is an electrical engineer with the Indian Railways and conducts classes in creative writing. Views are personal)