India's 77-Year Journey: From Independence to Global Power

Kathmandu. When India gained independence from British rule on August 15, 1947, it was not just the end of a colony. Rather, it was the beginning of an extraordinary path for a vast, poor, uneducated, and socially divided country filled with dozens of nationalities, which had just gone through the bloodshed of partition, to rebuild itself as a democratic republic.

In other words, it would not be inappropriate to say that the challenge of moving forward while managing the joy of independence on August 15, 1947, weighed heavily on then-India. Along with the jubilation of independence, India had to face many hurdles at once. The newly formed modern India immediately faced crises such as the creation of Pakistan, communal violence, displacement of millions of people, the Kashmir dispute, the integration of hundreds of princely states, food shortages, and a weak economy.