Tryst with Destiny, Yet Unfulfilled

At the stroke of midnight on August 14-15, 1947, Jawaharlal Nehru stood before the Constituent Assembly and spoke words that would resonate through time: “Long years ago we made a tryst with destiny … and at the stroke of the midnight hour … India will awake to life and freedom.” These were not just words of triumph but a clarion call to transform a nation scarred by centuries of colonial oppression into a republic of dignity, justice and opportunity.

As India celebrates the 79th anniversary of its independence in 2025, nearing the centenary of that historic moment, Nehru’s vision remains a lodestar – yet the pledge to redeem that tryst “not wholly or in full measure, but very substantially” stands at a crossroads.

India’s ascent as a global power is undeniable. Still, the chasm between macroeconomic triumphs and individual welfare, coupled with strains on democratic institutions, demands a renewed commitment to the ideals of 1947.

India’s economic rise is a testament to its resilience. With a nominal GDP exceeding $4 trillion in 2025, India has surpassed Japan to become the fourth-largest economy, trailing only the United States, China and Germany. Forecasts project real GDP growth of 6.2% in 2025, outpacing the global average of 2.8%. This growth reflects the ambition Nehru envisioned – a nation seizing opportunity from the ashes of colonial exploitation.

The Green Revolution transformed India from a famine-prone land into a global food exporter, while missions like Chandrayaan-3 and Mangalyaan have positioned India among the space-faring elite.

Digital infrastructure, from UPI’s global-standard payment systems to widespread internet penetration, underscores India’s technological leap.

These achievements embody the flushing of the dawn Nehru foresaw, where a nation’s suppressed soul finds expression.

Yet, this aggregate success masks a profound paradox. India’s per capita GDP, estimated at around $2,700, ranks in the 130s-140s globally, revealing a stark disconnect between national wealth and individual prosperity.

The World Inequality Lab notes that the top 1% capture nearly 23% of national income, while the bottom 50% share just 15%. The Human Development Index (HDI) for 2023 placed India at 0.685 (130th globally), with an inequality-adjusted HDI of 0.475. While only 5.25% of the population lives below $3 per day, 82% survive on less than $8.30 daily.

These figures expose a nation where economic might has not translated into inclusive welfare. Rural areas, in particular, lag in access to quality education, healthcare and livelihoods, while caste, gender and regional disparities persist. Nehru's tryst was not just with power but with equity – a promise yet to be fully redeemed.

The colonial legacy Nehru spoke against set the stage for these challenges. As Shashi Tharoor details in his book Inglorious Empire, India’s global GDP share plummeted from 23-27% in the early 18th century to 3-4% by 1947 due to systematic British exploitation. Land revenue systems and commercial cropping triggered chronic famines, claiming millions of lives. Artisans were crushed by cheap European imports, and forests vital to indigenous communities were ravaged by colonial policies. Partition’s communal violence and mass migration – displacing around 13 million – left a fractured society and economy.

Against this backdrop, India’s nation-building was a Herculean feat. Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel’s unification of over 560 princely states reshaped the subcontinent’s map, while the Constituent Assembly, under leaders like B.R. Ambedkar, crafted a constitution that enshrined universal adult suffrage and reservations for marginalised communities.

Institutions like the Indian Institutes of Technology, the Planning Commission and the All India Institute of Medical Sciences laid the foundation for progress, embodying Nehru’s call for a republic that dreams big.

Today, however, such institutions face mounting pressures, from politicised appointments and budgetary constraints to ideological interference, as the Modi government increasingly seeks to align their functioning with its own narratives, often at the cost of academic freedom, autonomy and long-term vision.

Further, the democratic institutions that were the bedrock of this vision are now under strain. The 2025 electoral cycle in Bihar has ignited a firestorm, with the Election Commission (EC) removing 6.5 million names – 8.3% of the electorate – from the draft roll produced under its special intensive revision (SIR) of voter lists. Opposition leaders, including Rahul Gandhi, have accused the EC of voter manipulation, alleging the inclusion of fake names and the deletion of valid voters, with claims of dual EPIC numbers issued to BJP leaders.

Nationwide torch marches have taken place over alleged voter suppression and demanded electoral transparency. In Delhi, approximately 300 opposition leaders marching to the EC's office were stopped and many of them detained. Analysts have warned of serious consequences for democratic trust, urging the EC to publish voter roll data and address allegations decisively.

These concerns extend beyond Bihar. Activists and politicians have criticised amendments to the EC's appointment process – replacing the chief justice of India with a Union minister on the selection panel – since they were made in 2023 as a blow to democratic integrity.

In Tripura, former CM Manik Sarkar has accused the BJP of tampering with voter rolls, undermining institutional trust. In Kerala’s Thrissur, allegations of mass fake voting have prompted calls for a repoll, with the education minister labeling it a “democratic massacre”.

That many of the 6.5 million names left out of Bihar's draft voter roll are likely to be  migrant labourers and marginalised communities who could face disenfranchisement due to documentation issues threatens the inclusive democracy Nehru championed.

These incidents highlight the fragility of India’s democratic scaffolding and the urgent need for institutional reform.

Nehru’s speech was not mere rhetoric but a blueprint for responsibility. His call to ‘be brave, wise and ready to grasp opportunity’ shaped early governance, from the Panchayati Raj system that decentralised power to the establishment of nuclear and space programs under Homi Bhabha and Vikram Sarabhai.

Secularism and pluralism, central to the republic’s identity, helped sustain unity despite Partition’s wounds. Yet, Nehru’s caution that “as long as there are tears and suffering, so long our work will not be over” remains prescient.

Inequalities across caste, gender, region and class persist, with access to quality education, healthcare and livelihoods unevenly distributed.

The political culture, too, has shifted. Nehru’s warning against “petty and destructive criticism” or “ill will” resonates in an era of polarised discourse and image-driven politics, where credit-grabbing often overshadows institutional commitment.

India’s global vision, rooted in Nehru’s Non-Aligned Movement, continues to inspire. By offering an alternative path for post-colonial nations, India championed a world where freedom was a universal right, not a privilege tied to superpower allegiance. 

Yet, domestically, the nation must confront its own democratic deficits. The EC's credibility hinges on transparent action – publishing voter data, investigating allegations and restoring public trust. Economic policies must prioritise per capita prosperity, ensuring growth benefits the many, not just the few. Civil liberties – freedom to dissent, question and protest – must be safeguarded as fiercely as economic targets. Pluralism, India’s greatest strength, must be nurtured, not tokenised.

As India celebrates yet another year of independence, the grandeur of 1947 still propels us. The nation’s successes; economic, scientific and democratic, are remarkable, yet they must be matched by renewed commitment to equality, justice and institutional integrity.

The path forward demands humility and urgency. The EC must act decisively to restore trust, while economic policymaking must bridge the gap between national ambition and social uplift. Education and healthcare must reach the marginalised, and democracy must remain a lived reality, not a procedural formality.

Nehru’s “Tryst with Destiny” was not a moment of closure but a call to perpetual action. He spoke of a future glimpsed in the flushing of the dawn, urging resolve and self-awareness.

In 2025, that dawn demands vigilance. Independence is not a trophy but a foundation – one that requires building roads and rights, protecting the vulnerable and ensuring every citizen finds belonging in this republic.

The noble mansion of Free India, as Nehru envisioned, is not constructed with bricks of power alone but with the steadfast labour of inclusion, the scaffolding of institutions and the open door of opportunity.

The tryst with destiny, far from redeemed, beckons us to act – not with nostalgia, but with the courage to forge a nation where liberty is real in every life, not just in every ledger. Let us step forward, as Nehru urged, with humility and ardour, to fulfill the pledge made long years ago.

Amal Chandra is an author, political analyst and columnist. He posts on X @ens_socialis. Thirunavukarasu S. is a junior research fellow and doctoral research scholar at the University of Madras.

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