Inner Reflections Of A Maverick Mind

Slumdog and Gandhi January 17, 2012

What comes to your mind when you first hear the word INDIA? If you ask this question to a person who is of a non Indian nationality and  has never been to India you would end up 99% with one of the answers below:-

Slumdog , Gandhi, curry, tandoori chicken , bollywood, culture, IT !!!!

The stereotypes that we associate with INDIA have changed rapidly in the last 2 decades . What has brought about this change? Is it the booming economy or the communication and technology wave that has swept the nation .Luckily i have been part of the generation which is seeing this tide turn , i used to write letters when i was a kid ( the inland letter and the postcard) , its all emails , facebook and twitter now .I used to make phone calls in booths ( PCO/STD) , and there used to be a STD booth every 10 meters in the market , now all that has been wiped off , mobile phone are now a necessity not a luxury . Perhaps the “Roti kapda aur makan ” should be changed to ” Roti kapda makan aur Mobile”.

This is the story of rising INDIA , what about the other story . My grandfather’s house is in one of the villages in South West Bengal , what is the story in there ? Do they care about the story of rising India? Well i found out that , even though the people who live in these areas are poor and illiterate  , they have somehow understood the importance of education and sending their kids to schools . So its not long when the next generation of these poor people will start contributing to the countries economy and also will contribute back to the society. The reason for this insight is definitely the media , the media in India , penetrates even the homes of poorest of the poor.And the content of the media is very rich , it fills in hope and goals in the minds of numerous people everyday .

In the last decade there are in numerous debates in media about shift in  global power and the rise of powers like China and India. Will India become a superpower? No doubt it will in the coming years , but how will it exercise its power will be the big question . Also history has taught us that whenever there is a power shift there are bloody wars . If there is a World War 3 then India might also be pulled into it , and the scene in Asia and middle east would be very complex and grim . I hope it never happens and India doesn’t cross paths with any other developing power , otherwise the consequences would be devastating .

I believe even if India become a economic and military giant , it would not impose its power as other superpowers have done in the past . It would  be more concerned about its own development of the people and land . It will have trade and strategic alliances with nations which have common interest as India. Also it would help other countries become economically and socially stable and strong, a great example of that is India’s Strategic Alliance with Afghanistan.

I will like to conclude by saying that in the next 3 decades i see India as a global hub of Innovation , a economic and military giant , a country of colorful multi-ethnic, multi-religious, multi-lingual  people who are technologically empowered.