A SCIENTIFIC vision—not in the narrow sense of natural sciences—but a larger vision encompassing the social and the natural sciences was very much a part of the national movement. India's struggle for independence was not simply to free itself from British rule. It was also to build a nation that would deliver development to its people. Independence would be bitter indeed if it did not lift people out of the abject poverty into which two centuries of colonial rule had sunk them.

IN his famous book, The Argumentative Indian, Prof Amartya Sen traces the most distinguishing characteristic of the people of India, a desire for engaging in arguments, whatever the subject matter. Prof Sen delves deep into the Buddhist tradition and other historical sources to prove his point.  Today, a spine-chilling question stares at us when we are about to complete the first quarter of the 21st century and the 75th anniversary of India’s independence from the British colonial yoke.

ON August 15, when we unfurl the national flag, we recall that historic midnight session of the Constituent Assembly seventy five years ago when the first national flag that was unfurled over parliament, was handed over to the President Rajendra Prasad by Hansa Mehta, freedom fighter and one of the 15 women members of the Constituent Assembly.  She said “It is in the fitness of things that this first flag that will fly over this august House should be a gift from the women of India…. We have fought, suffered, and sacrificed in the course of our country’s struggle for freedom.

INDIA will be completing seventy five years of its independence from British rule in a few days. Our independence was the result of the struggle by the people of our country, men, women and children, workers, peasants and other sections sacrificing everything including their lives. What did they envision when they courageously fought British colonialism?

TILL recently, when commemorating the significant anniversaries of independence, we could cite the parliamentary democratic system as one of the major achievements of independent India.