How Has India Erased the Footprints of Colonialism To Take Stride in Amritkaal?

The fundamental thought process of the youngsters of India has always been attached to the ideals that represent the Indic values, knowledge system, and the Indian thought process. Thus, in order to fulfill the desires and aspirations of the ‘New Bharat’ which is led by the ‘New Bhartiyas’ i.e. the youngsters, the current government has made huge and impactful efforts. All the steps taken by the government have helped erase the footprints of the period when India was under the shackles of foreign domination which greatly deteriorated its civilizational history.

This article mentions Ten Decisions taken by the government under the able leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi which has helped India regain its glory:

1)Renaming of Race Course Road to Lok Kalyan Marg:

The British-era road named ‘Seven Race Course Road’ where the Prime Minister resides has now been changed to ‘Lok Kalyan Marg’ representing the motive of the government and its intention that the place where the head of the government resides is a place established for the welfare of the citizens of India. This historic move is not a single case, the government by showing its intent also changed the ‘Aurangzeb Road’ to ‘A.P.J. Abdul Kalam Road’ to show honor towards the missile man of India. Thus this represents the intention that by changing the names it is trying to bring about an awakening among the citizens about the historical injustices done to them.

2) Renaming of Andaman Islands:

The Twenty-one largest Islands of Andaman and Nicobar Islands were given the names of Twenty-one Param Veer Chakra awardees this year. Along with that in order to celebrate the remarkable contribution of ‘Subhash Chandra Bose’ to India’s freedom struggle movement the ‘Ross Islands’ were also renamed as ‘Netaji Subhash Chandra’ by the Prime Minister in the year 2018.

3) Renaming of Rajpath to Kartavya Path :

The Central government under the able leadership of Prime Minister Modi ahead of the inauguration of Central Vista Avenue changed the name of ‘Rajpath’ to ‘Kartavya Path’ signifying that the road towards the temple of Democracy is for putting our efforts to bring out an all-around development in the lives of people of India. The changing of foreign names and bringing about an end to the colonial shadows has been very significant in the last ten years. The term ‘Kartavya’ signifies the emphasis on duties which has to be performed by the political leaders rather than just focusing on the rights. It shows the intent of the government to serve the nation.

4) Subhash Chandra Bose Statue at Canopy:

Along with the renaming of Kartavya Path the government’s active efforts in celebrating the heroes of India’s freedom struggle movement have been very significant. The emphasis on naming the roads, institutions, and awards in the name of only a few people has been changed under the Modi government’s regime. The installation of Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose statue at the India Gate along with cross swords signifies and appreciates the efforts taken by the Indian National Army (INA). Every drop of blood given by the sons of this holy land has been respected by taking the decision to install Subhash Babu’s statue at the India Gate.

5) Changing of Beating the Retreat Song:

The Retreat ceremony’s concluding piece ‘Abide With Me’ which was introduced during the British rule had the influence of colonial legacy. It was not on Indian theme however the task taken by the Prime Minister to make everything Indian and restore the Indian glory led to the changing of the beating of the retreat song. Kavi Pradeep’s majestic work ‘Aye Mere Watan Ke Logon’ has been introduced. The lyrics of this song completely show the ideas thathave inspired us in the past and continue to do so even in the present day.

6) New Naval Ensign:

An ensign is a national flag that is displayed on the aircraft and ships of the aircraft of the armedforces of the country. India’s ensign earlier carried the sign of Saint George’s cross with the Tricolour in the canton. However having a sign of Saint George’s cross on the Indian Naval forces flag was very disheartening for a country like India which from the 17^th century onwards started making efforts to develop the naval forces, Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj was the pioneer in this. The government by taking a very big step changed the flag of the Naval ensign and now it has the Tricolour with the Ashoka emblem on it.

7) Merger of Railway Budget with Annual Budget:

The 92-year-old tradition of presenting the Railway Budget with the Annual Budget which was started by the Britishers was changed by the government in the year 2017. A single appropriation bill, including the estimates and Demand for Grants, will be created by the railways. Thus, this provides a space for discussing the railway budget with the Annual budget bringing about a positive change in the infrastructure development of India.

8)Revival of Literary works banned during British Rule:

Many revolutionary kinds of literaturewere published during India’s freedom struggle movement mainly after the decision to partition Bengal (1905) till the Quit India Movement (1942) was not allowed to be published for the people on account of being ‘dangerous for the security of the nation’. As part of the celebration of 75 years of Independence, the government made active efforts to identify all these types of literature from the archives and make it available for the people to read.

9) Stress on teaching in Mother Tongue through National Education Policy:

The New Education Policy (2020) talks about designing syllabi in such a way that encourages critical thinking and learning the syllabus in our mother tongue at the primary level of education. Thus this provides an opportunity to understand the concepts in a much better way. Macaulay’s minutes published in 1835 changed the entire discourse of Education in India with the shifting of focus on learning only in English. The provisions of the NEP 2020 have been to emphasize learning in our mother tongue and this will bring about a positive change in the academic institutions of our country.

10) Reforming the Justice System in India:

The steps taken by the government to bring about a change in the nomenclatures of the Justice system have to be appreciated. It shows the intent of the government to bring change not only in terms of nomenclature but also in the thought process of the judicial system of India. The Indian Penal Code(IPC) 1860 has been changed to Bhartiya Nyay Sanhita 2023, the Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC)1898 to Bhartiya Nagrik Suraksha Sanhita Bill 2023, and the Evidence Act (1872) as Bhartiya Sakshya Bill 2023. Thus, this tries to bring about a holistic change in the overall judicial process of India.

The Indian civilizational history which traces back more than five thousand years is the oldest and the only surviving civilization in the world. Hence, it becomes really important to preserve the ideals and Indic values that have helped in the survival of this great nation. The current government has been making huge efforts to preserve these values of our country and this is reflected by all the decisions taken by them in last ten years.