And despite this dissonance, or perhaps because of it, Indians seem to be becoming more aggressive about the question of their identity. Not only ideas but also institutions are under strain. In recent times, the various arms of our democracy have all jockeyed for space and power and even after 50 years, the argument, about who is more powerful has not been settled. The seeds of doubt have been planted in our minds about whether the conventions and traditions of the past are valid today. It is of course difficult to pin down when exactly this transition from the old order to a new took place.
Societies are dynamic by nature and even a country as ancient India changes all the time.
But in many ways, it was the government of Narasimha Rao that was the bridge between the two eras. Since then, India has moved away from the past even more decisively. The liberalisation of the economy has coincided with social illiberalism and cultural insularity. Popular culture today reflects a growing conservatism with an apparently progressive face. A new discovery of religion is intertwined with growing religious intolerance.