ABSTRACT
The manner in which India's independence was achieved has shaped the role of competing groups in India's democratic and developmental system. The formation of interest groups and multiple demands after 1947 is an evolutionary story driven by multiple catalysts. The constitution provides the legal framework to organize India's political, economic, and social life; however, the catalysts that favor interest group activity reflect a different set of calculations. Business and commercial classes long had a poor image in Indian society. The political development of the student community is attributed partly to the freedom movement and partly to the behavior of political leaders in the postindependence period. India possesses a well-established, articulate intelligentsia. India's technocrats include engineers, doctors, agronomists, scientists, and computer engineers. The position of the military in India today has changed radically since the Nehru-Menon days. At present India maintains one of the largest armies in the world, with over 1.3 million people in uniform.
