India : The Rejuvenated Republic !

We have just witnessed an amazing Republic Day celebration with full national fervor! After a long time India has tuned into televisions on 26th January with renewed interest and fascination towards this proud national tradition, to mark and celebrate Republic of India !

To their credit the current central government has done a remarkable job by pulling a rabbit out of hat by inviting US President Barrack Obama as Chief Guest on this Republic day thus not only automatically reviving Indian Interest but also bringing global spotlight on the event and India itself!

Demystifying meaning of Republic :

Republic is a very popular and one of the most widely used tag that governments across the globe use to describe themselves in some way or the other. In fact, staggering 200 plus sovereign states, around the world, uses the Republic as a prefix or post fix to define themselves. Clearly the word has lot of ambiguity and inferences attached to it. However the central idea remains same that is government elected by the people, following law of the land as a guideline to its working!

Despite our share of problems, issues and embarrassments, in my view India is a better Republic than many others in the world. Credit for this goes to our extremely detailed and well-crafted constitution that sets tone and tonality for working of Democratic Republic of India.

Three Elements that make India a better Republic :

1. Election commission of India, a permanent constitutional body, is doing remarkable job for so many elections now. Its commitment to bring a stringent and transparent election culture in India is paying rich dividends. Whether it is a systematic and innovative introduction of Electronic voting machines in a world’s largest and most complicated elections or making asset declaration a must for all candidates, both are examples of credible steps in the right direction!
2. Independent Judiciary another permanent constitutional body, is also giving a tremendous contribution in cleaning the political system and making India a better Republics. For Instance, Recent landmark judgment debarring convicted politicians from contesting elections are revolutionary steps for cleaning Indian Political System.
3. Powerful media has been exposing scams and corruption for a while now. They have been constantly throwing spotlight of scrutiny on political whodunits and bringing them to public notice by 24/7 coverage, making otherwise unaccountable power elites responsible for their deeds. Media is also instrumental in making voters aware of political realities around them and also spreading the importance of voting in polls. Ever increasing voter turnouts in elections, leading to clear mandates is indicative of excellent media exposer and connect with population in general and youth in particular.

Reasons For Recent Rejuvenation :

These are indeed great times for plenty of reasons. Inspiring leadership at helm of affairs and political stability has started to show results that this nation of one billion plus has long waited for with a mix of hope and frustration. Just to have a glance at some of the macroeconomic indicators of India's economy and contemporary realities-

• The fiscal deficit is on track.
• Crude has literally slipped to half, which is helping trade deficit to reduce.
• Forex reserves are at record high of $322 billion in over four years.
• Stock markets are in extended honeymoon phase and are making new highs.
• Long awaited Critical reforms are almost a certainty either by consensus or by ordinance.
• IMF forecasting India to beat china in growth rate by 2016 has lot of psychological as well economic connotations.
• Ambitious Programs like Digital India & Make in India are gaining force and have potential to bring unparalleled flow of global Investments into the domestic markets and create massive employment opportunities.

All in all India as a Republic is on right track by most means but as they say there are still miles to go before I sleep. As a nation, we still need to do a lot, to bridge the gulf between developing India and developed world. Our tedious and challenging journey to become a truly mature democratic republic has just begun!