India represents a unique example of a country that manages to combine ancient traditions of societal hierarchy with modern democratic institutions to create and sustain a successful and progressive state. With a population of more than 1.2 billion people and an almost incomprehensibly complex caste system, India remains the largest and oldest relatively peaceful federal democracy in Asia and the Global South (Hauss, 2014). Almost 80 years of Indian independence are the ultimate argument against the colonial thought of the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries (Khosla, 2020). For that reason, the roots of the country’s success in managing democratic institutions amidst several layers of internal divisions remain a subject of great scholarly and popular interest.
India demonstrates how democracy, economic growth, cultural and religious diversity, traditionalism, and nationalism can support each other. India’s Constitution, adopted in 1950, provides a framework for democratic governance that guarantees freedom of speech, religion, and assembly, allowing for a vibrant and diverse society and encouraging political participation. Notably, as studies by Panda (2019) and Dasgupta (2018) suggest, India’s caste division promotes voter turnout and political participation among different social groups, as evident in the recent emergence of a proper multiparty system. Moreover, India’s political system allows its diverse caste, cultural, and religious groups to develop distinct understandings of democracy that complement each other (Michelutti, 2020). Additionally, rapid economic growth and technological development have significantly reduced poverty and promoted social mobility, helping to bridge the gap between different social groups and regions (Dasgupta, 2018). In the words of Mukulika Banerjee, India’s current political trend based on national exaltation, economic growth, and caste-based unity “has revolutionised the ways in which middle class politics as well as lower caste politics operate” (Michelutti, 2020, p. 2). Despite the current discriminatory trend against local Muslim and Christian religious minorities, India challenges traditional Western views on democratic states.
Other highly divided countries can learn from India’s success by promoting a democratic culture that respects and fosters diversity, protects individual and group rights, and encourages political participation. These countries should also invest in education, economic development, and social justice to promote social mobility and reduce inequality. Finally, they should strive to a balance between secularism, religious and cultural traditionalism, and respect for diversity to prevent conflicts based on race, ethnicity, religion, or caste.
References
Dasgupta, A. (2018). Technological change and political turnover: The democratizing effects of the green revolution in India. American Political Science Review, 112(4), 918–938. Web.
Hauss, C. (2014). Comparative politics: Domestic responses to global challenges. Cengage Learning.
Khosla, M. (2020). India’s founding moment: The constitution of a most surprising democracy. Harvard University Press.
Michelutti, L. (2020). The vernacularisation of democracy: Politics, caste and religion in India. Taylor & Francis.
Panda, S. (2019). Political-economic determinants of electoral participation in India. India Review, 18(2), 184–219. Web.