Northeast India

Vital to India’s self-image as an independent nation was its constitution, completed in 1950, which put in place a secular and democratic republic.[155] It has remained a democracy with civil liberties, an active Supreme Court, and a largely independent press.[156] Economic

liberalisation, which began in the 1990s, has created a large urban middle class, transformed India into one of the world’s fastest-growing economies,[157] and increased its geopolitical clout. Indian movies, music, and spiritual teachings play an increasing role in global culture.[156] Yet, India is also shaped by seemingly unyielding poverty, both rural and urban;[156] by

religious and caste-related violence;[158] by Maoist-inspired Naxalite insurgencies;[159] and by separatism in Jammu and Kashmir and in Northeast India.[160] It has unresolved territorial disputes with China[161] and with Pakistan.[161] India’s sustained democratic freedoms are unique among the world’s newer nations; however, in spite of its recent economic successes, freedom from want for its disadvantaged population remains a goal yet to be achieved.[162]