Independent India and the World

Independent India did not begin its journey in isolation. From the very start, the country maintained a global outlook — a stance that was not new but inherited directly from the Indian nationalist movement. The vision of the freedom struggle was never narrowly nationalistic; it was deeply connected to the wider world.

A central part of this vision was a firm commitment to liberation struggles across the globe. Indian leaders and the public felt solidarity with people in other colonised and oppressed nations. This internationalist spirit meant that India saw its own freedom as part of a larger fight against colonialism and imperialism everywhere.

Beyond political solidarity, there were concrete, ongoing connections. Many Indians travelled overseas for education and work — migration was not a new phenomenon but an ongoing process that continued after independence. Similarly, the Indian economy was never sealed off. The export and import of raw materials, goods, and technology were very much a part of the country's development strategy since 1947. Foreign firms also operated in India during this period. …