Movers And Shapers

These 70 icons unite the country, its terrible polarities, its tremendous possibilities and its wonderful pluralities

- Kaveree Bamzai

I want all Indians to be Indians first, Indian last and nothing else but Indians, said B.R. Ambedkar, whose great contributions to democracy have been viewed through the narrow prism of caste in post-Independence India. Competitive loyalty, he felt, should not overwhelm our national identity, whether that loyalty arises out of religion, culture or language.

Unfortunately, modern India has grown in quite a different trajectory. All manner of anarchic and arcane identities have taken over, unleashing conflicts that the national fabric is yet to recover from. Indians have found themselves trapped in a witch’s curse, at the mercy of a constantly boiling pot of trouble and toil. Despite a Constitution which is not a mere lawyers’ document but a vehicle of life, and a spirit always the spirit of age, the contradictions of post Independence India have often strained the ties that bind us. Yet there is something that unites India, its wonderful pluralities, and yes, even its terrible polarities.