We the people

We, the people of India, have a lot going for us.

- NAVTEJ SARNA

We are the inheritors of an incredibly rich, cultured, evolved past; by all accounts, an even more glorious future is waiting to fall into our laps. The rest of the world envies us. Our journey from an impoverished colony torn asunder by partition to the high table of nations is impressive. Our democracy, chaotic as it is, is axiomatic; our demography, once a millstone around our neck, is now an asset. We are a veritable treasure house of art, culture, literature; we know everything there is to be known about religion and philosophy. Indian origin names throng the highest echelons of the tech world, Indian athletes now win Olympic medals.

But for some reason, our newspapers make depressing reading, the television channels beg to be switched off. Because, somewhere in this rush for material success, we the people have lost something. Something fundamental, something nice, something decent.