State of nation offers reasons to rejoice, worry

Joblessness may be the most troubling feature of the Republic today. We haven't been innovative in this all-important field. Government jobs, the army and openings abroad cannot possibly absorb the millions in the queue.

- Rajmohan Gandhi

What, I ask myself, gives me the greatest satisfaction as our Republic turns 75? My answer, after some reflection, is the following: The ability today of tens of millions of Indians who work at the bottom of the heap to interact daily, via their phones, with loved ones living far from them, children, parents, spouses, whatever. In January 1950, when I was 14, even privileged or rich Indians couldn't do this. Today, thanks to a leap in connectivity, everyone, including people we speak of as Dalits, Adivasis, and Other Backward Castes (OBC) can look at physically distant family members every day and exchange notes about how they are, how their day has gone, and what lies ahead. Add this to the value in our democratic Republic of everyone's vote, and the sum you get reflects a new dignity for Indians at the bottom of the heap. It is an indication, one may assert, of a lessening of Indian society's legendary inequalities.