Poonam Sharma
Moving Away from the Slave Mentality: India’s Rise Above the Colonial Mindset
Even after the British flag was lowered in 1947, a subtle shadow of colonialism lingered over India—not through political control, but through mindset, institutions, and inherited frameworks that shaped the way Indians saw themselves. This colonized mentality-a belief in the superiority of foreign thought, systems, and validation-continued to shape education, governance, and the cultural psyche for considerable time even after independence. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been repeatedly explaining to his fellow nationals that true freedom is incomplete until India frees itself from the bondage which it had inherited in the realm of thinking, while aiming at an irrevocable breach with the colonial past no later than 2035.
The Incomplete Freedom: When Minds Remain Colonized
While political independence ended foreign rule, psychological independence has been far more challenging. India absorbed Western narratives as unquestionable truths for decades:
The system presented English education as the “only gateway” toward intelligence and modernity.
In the process, Indian knowledge systems-Ayurveda, ancient mathematics, civilisational wisdom-were dismissed as outdated or inferior.
The administrative structures followed colonial logic: bureaucratic distance from the public, rigid hierarchies, and slow processes that never aligned with India’s civilisational ethos.
Social prestige was dependent either upon Western degrees, fluency in English, or foreign approval.
This worldview created a society judging its very self through external eyes. Such a mind-set weakened self-confidence and disconnected generations from thousands of years of cultural, scientific, and spiritual heritage.
A Nation in Search of Its Own Voice
The major shift which has begun in the last decade is that of rediscovery of India’s intellectual and cultural sovereignty. This is a movement of not rejecting the world but re-rooting India in its own civilisational knowledge while engaging globally with confidence.
The call of Prime Minister Modi to break free from the colonial mentality is not merely symbolic. It reflects a deeper vision: to make India think in its own idiom, plan in its own framework, and walk on paths drawn from its own consciousness. For this, four major pillars need transformation.
1. Education: Beyond Macaulay’s Shadow
The education system of India was originally designed to produce clerks that were loyal to the British Raj. The remnants survived post-independence.
These new education reforms aim at:
Replace rote memorisation-heavy colonial patterns with critical and creative learning.Reintroduce Indian philosophy, scientific heritage, and cultural history.Promote mother-tongue learning without undermining global skill development.
Build confidence that Indian languages are capable of modern knowledge.This is a foundational break from the mindset that only Western frameworks produce “real education.”
2. Governance: From Rulers to Sevaks
The colonial state was a regime of distance, suspicion, and control; Indian tradition insists on transparent, empathetic public service.
Today’s key shifts include:
Digital governance: making the state accessible, not intimidating
Citizen-centered delivery instead of colonial red tape.
Administrative reform emphasizing efficiency, rather than hierarchy.
A de-colonised India would be where its government serves, not rules.
3. Science and Knowledge Systems: Equal Respect for Indian Wisdom
For decades, Western science was considered the only valid knowledge. Indian discoveries-from metallurgy to astronomy-were either suppressed or taught through Western reinterpretation.
The modern Indian approach will seek harmony between:
Scientific innovation and ancient wisdom
Cutting-edge research and traditional knowledge
Technology and cultural rootedness
This integration builds a future wherein India innovates with its own intellectual DNA.
4. Cultural Self-Confidence: Reclaiming Our Civilisational Identity
The colonial powers instilled the thought that the Indian culture was uncivilized or beyond the realms of superstition. Consequently, Indians would end up adoring the world while shying away from valuing their very own heritage.
Today, there is renewed confidence:
Epics, festivals, and indigenous traditions celebrated;
Re-introduce classical arts, Sanskrit, and traditional crafts.
Recognizing India not only as a nation-state but as a civilization millennia-old This is a key element in the cultural renaissance necessary to bring the slave mentality to an end. From Colonial Shadows to a Civilisational Future India is at a very critical juncture. It is not only a question of removing the symbols of colonialism but remodeling the deeper psychological dependency that the colonial era created. PM Modi’s target for a fully decolonized India by 2035 is ambitious but very essential in building up a confident, original, and culturally sovereign nation. A country of 1.4 billion people cannot afford to rely on borrowed paradigms. A civilisation that has given the world mathematics, yoga, metallurgy, navigation, philosophy and spiritual knowledge must not see itself through borrowed eyes. Decolonization of the mind is India’s next freedom struggle. It’s a struggle for self-belief, for intellectual autonomy, and for cultural self-respect. It demands that India finally steps into the world-not as a former colony, but as an ancient civilization reclaiming its rightful place. The task ahead is enormous, but the direction is clear: India has to think as India, not as a shadow of its former colonizers.
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