India’s past resilience shows the way forward

Peeking into a common citizen's life opens portals to understand a nation’s resilience and resolve. So, let’s get a glimpse into the life of a common citizen for a better appreciation of India.

- Shashi Shekhar

The year was 1966. One August afternoon in the city of Mirzapur, the family of a government officer was about to eat lunch when his four-and-a-half-year-old daughter started crying. His six-year-old son followed suit. The red coloured chapatis were the culprit. Their tender age did not stop them from revolting against the foul smell and taste. The wheat we received from the US was meant for poultry feed in that country. Even that was available only to a lucky few. The tribals in Mirzapur survived on scant forest produce. Large parts of India were suffering from a drought that had turned farmland into dust bowls.

Records suggest India produced only 72.3 million tonnes of grain in 1965-66. This was the reason Indira Gandhi sought food aid from US president Lyndon B Johnson soon after she became the Prime Minister (PM). In comparison, India is projected to produce 353.95 million tonnes of grain in 2024-25. India’s sensational journey from holding a begging bowl to agricultural self-reliance is inspiring and compelling.

Indira’s predecessor, PM Lal Bahadur Shastri, who led the country during the second Indo-Pak war, coined the slogan “jai jawan, jai kisan”. However, one of his less discussed clarion calls can inspire even the present generation. He asked people to skip one meal every week as India was facing a grain shortage. My idealistic parents immediately made it their routine and told us children not to waste food, as many didn’t have even a few morsels to survive.