India became a free nation in 1947 after 130 years of British rule. In last 75 years it has emerged as a major economy and political heavyweight on the international scene. The journey has been full of wars on all fronts. India has been blessed with a strong political leadership, but has encountered Himalayan problems like poverty, exacerbated by uneducated masses burdened with religious traditions and factionalism. It really is a wonder that there has not been a civil war or communist revolution. It is a story of the survival of democracy against heavy odds.