It is quite important that India understood its role in the comity of nations and as a harbinger of peace, harmony and development all across the undeveloped and developing world. While it is heartening to claim that India will be light of the world spreading knowledge and a message of peace and unity in the entire world, India cannot claim to be a shining example of universal brotherhood till we as Indians put our own house in order. Lots of enormous problems still plague India, and the enormity of our problems should make our political leaders somber and they should introspect in peace and contemplate how they can set India free from these problems. Dirt and filth pervades everywhere in the form of open defecation, there is no proper mechanism for collecting solid waste throughout the country, and there is this scourge of regionalism in addition to grave problems like casteism, communalism and the evil forces are eager to disrupt the moral and diversified social fabric of our country which took eons to build, for which our forefathers shed both sweat and blood.

Of course, change is imminent and it is imperative that we as Indians be receptive to change, but only change that is positive in nature. Time has come to recognize the fact that India has underachieved and not made full use of its resources, both natural and manmade, and failed to put in positive use its vast demographic dividend in the form of an abundant workforce. How can we show the light of hope and development to the people till the collective leadership of the country (including the government and the opposition) is able to instill a sense of hope and security amongst its youth and other major chunks of the population?

It is high time that we as Indians recognize that we have to change for the better, since we always cannot claim that we have a glorious past and there is nothing more to achieve now, and look at the state of our nation, that is seething with poverty, inequalities, exploitation and various ridiculous social stratifications. Caste is determined by work and not by birth. How much time will pass till we as Indian, shackled by the burden of our colonial past, realize this simple truth? Is not this important that the Indian people first set their own house in order before preaching the world how to conduct themselves in the international affairs? With a rotting government machinery that is all the time slow and too officious in nature, the fruits and labors that our legislators want to deliver don’t reach to the people in full measure and in the least time that it should reach. Who is to blame from this? The executive or the legislators? The judiciary is itself over stretched and now there is talk of putting the Judiciary in order as well? What role has the press, the fourth estate, has to play in order to bring the message of development and hope being propagated right from the top? It is clear that there is a clear cut path that lies ahead of us, but only seeing that path is not enough, now we Indians have now definitely to walk the talk. Stay safe and do keep the comments rolling in.

map courtesy: University of Texas