Can India Emerge As A Superpower by 2020??!

With the current geopolitics being highly unpolar and treading on thin ice, the countries which strike right will dominate the global arena in the coming years. It goes without saying that the countries which are currently looked upto as potential successors of U.S.A and other European countries in global economic and political supremacy are the BRMIC (Brazil,Russia,Mexico,India and China)

All these countries have different reasons to feature in this exclusive list, The Latin American countries for their rich resources of raw material and high investment conducive environment, China has already proven its potential by its rapid capture of global markets and the will to fully exploit its human resources through a staunch Communist stance.

Now the question is how well does India justify its position here and thus, will it be able to maintain it and rise up to the expectations of being a superpower within the near future. India has of course come a long way since its independence,and there the bandwagon stops.

Since the past two decades, India has been enjoying the status of imperialism inthe info-tech sector,being one of the major markets for IT industry . Then as a developing country it has mass potential in terms of an emerging market for investment, a pool of young educated and internationally competent professionals. We have all the tools, but the mechanism is not in place.

India’s middle class is very ideally clinged onto this Utopic idea of Superpowerhood, but only thinking about it will not make it happen. We have some major constraints that pull us back and have made us one fourth the size of our giant neighbours economy in terms of GDP over these two decades. So what are these problems?

The one and major is the pervasive poverty that impedes India’s progress in every sector, every way. We have not been able to absolutely tackle the problem in spite of it being a major highlight in every five year plan conceived since independence. What has been happening all these years is creation of a widening gap between the rural and the urban and middle-class. And with poverty, needless to say, attach all these problems of malnutrition, illiteracy and lack of basic facilities in the lives of the impoverished. We face major internal security threats with Naxals and citizens in complete agitation with the country. Food security is another major issue at hand where on the one hand we see our food grains go waste due to lack of storage and at the same time face hunger and malnutrition problems. Our growth today, does not overshadow or in any way minimise the pertinence of these problems.

Another major factor which affects a country’s growth is of course its system of governance. India has been this fairly hyped largest democracy in the world, but its effectiveness is getting less credible as you speak. What we need are radical moves and radical changes and a stronger government hand in policy implementation. The country almost need the rule of the stick to inculcate what we direly lack in all spheres of life: discipline. The Indian system of governance has always been about the petty politics of retention of power and patronage.

We have to bring ourselves to terms with reality and hence predict our country’s fate. Without structural changes in economy, we cannot expect it to race ahead of its time. Research, innovation, risk taking policy and absolute implementation is the need of the hour. Capacity building and decreasing our dependence on other economies is another requirement. We still are major importers of our Arms and ammunition which means dependency, as opposed to China which is now among the five major exporters of the same.

The ambitions for this sub-continent are not Utopic, but will be if we don’t find the right way to realise them. With the passing of the nuclear liability bill, we are at a position to exploit our nuclear capabilities. The recent global economic recession and how our country was relatively less affected and also was one of the first to recover, shows the existence of a stable and growing economy. The output is expected to increase by 10% in the next few years. So the cynics won’t be here to stay long, but in order to make our presence assertive globally, we need to employ a focussed approach in achieving our goals. With global and regional competition from China, it sure seems a Herculean task,but so has every major achievement been, and we all know this one will have more rewarding results than we could ever fathom,after all super powerdom is one ring that will rule them all.

Indian Politics: Power without Responsibility

Dictionary definition of a Government is-“The authoritative direction and administration of affairs of men in a nation, state, city etc.”

If this is the axiomatic definition of a government, then what do we call the one we have at centre? It has an administration which is weak but, is authoritative in the most atrocious way.

We have a Government which acts like cowardice. It shies away from taking bold steps and faints at the idea of leading the country from the front. The need of the hour is an ably-functioning government with its sole objective of development, and progress. But, sadly it is something that is evidently missing in our nation’s political genealogy.

By not taking any firm decision on the execution of Afzhal Guru it is displaying its incompetence. What can be expected of a government which fails to punish the culprit who if he had succeeded could have killed almost all the major players of the ruling party today? What can be said of the politicians who are fighting it hard (tooth and nail) to delay the execution fearing backlash from a certain section of the society? It is such a shame that matters of such paramount importance take a back seat when it comes to decision-making.

Not only this, there are many other issues that have been neglected over the decades. One such is the reservation policy that the government has adopted. It is choosing to ignore the cries of FCs for justice. It is not really ready to start a debate on this issue again wary of losing out in the polls to come if it meddled with the quota system. It was the one which ignited the long forgotten issue of Telangana. It is responsible for all the inconvenience people had to go through in the nearly 3-month agitation in AP.

The performance of UPA-II has not been up to the mark. It has sidelined all the important issues and has taken pride in its inconsequential projects. Many serious stories have surfaced signifying the growing levels of corruption in the armed forces. Yet, the government has chosen to ignore this allegation instead of putting an end to all the speculation. Another important aspect is our national security. Are we truly well armed to protect our country from our hostile neighbours as proclaimed by the defence forces? Can we defend ourselves from the recurring terrorist attacks? How long do we need to live under the constant scare and threat to our lives? What measures has the government taken to gain the confidence of the people of Kashmir? When can we claim our rightful ownership over Jammu and Kashmir & Arunachal Pradesh? The centre ought to display firmness and be assertive when dealing with such issues.

What is essential for any effective Government is the ability to take strong and bold steps that make way for development even if it means standing up alone. It should possess the far-sightedness which is very much required for nation-building. But, by its laxed nature, it is setting up a bad precedent. The people of the country expect the PM to come out clearly in significant matters. But, instead of clearing the air, it is trying hard to convince and assuage people by its tried and tested tool – reeling out oft-repeated, heard and digested dialogues. No doubt, our country is still drooping in utter confusion and chaos. Turning a blind eye on vital issues is doing no good to any quarter. Need we remind it that ‘Justice delayed is justice denied’? Out of the blue, even if the Government wishes to do some good to the country, the Opposition raises a hue and cry erasing the only hope for progress sadly bringing back the story to the beginning. It’s the same old story again.

It is time the PM and his Cabinet Ministers reconsidered their course of action and frame new policies for the upliftment of the poor and for the well-being of its citizens. The nation has voted them for a reason and it is their foremost responsibility to make sure that the needs of the people are met. They should live up to the expectations of the people because, we did not vote for them so that they could make long-drawn-out speeches on communal harmony. We did not elect them so that they could garland Bapu on Gandhi Jayanthi. We did not give them power so that they could indulge in foreign-tours for no reason. We are not paying taxes even though we struggle to make both the ends meet just to burden their already heavy well-corrupted pockets with even more money. We did not give verdict in their favour while we languish in poverty so that they could wallow in luxury but, we put them in office so that they could realize our dream of owning a house one day. We believed they could raise our standards of living. We hoped that they would make it possible for us to have a square meal a day. We presupposed, they would help us to eke out a living in this expensive world. We counted on them that they would provide us protection from the giant, dirty hands of terrorism. But, instead they sent applications requesting additional security for themselves. We wished they would make treatment affordable. We looked forward to travelling on smoother, pothole-free roads. But, these Politician Gods were not satisfied with our penance no matter how much we tried to appease them. They said we were asking for too much and laid the matter to rest.

Why does it not occur to us that it is only a favour that the politicians are bestowing with by assuming office? They clearly do not want to upset us by denying the responsibility. We had totally forgotten that it is only our duty to pay the tax sincerely whereas it goes by their right to dwindle the revenue thus collected and fill up their bank accounts.

Sorry, Mr. Politician, you have no qualms and we do not complain!

Arundhati Roy: The God of Wrong Things?

A few months ago, Booker prize winner Arundhati Roy came up with a 20,000 words essay in leading newspapers and magazines of India and Pakistan. The essay generously praised the Maoists for taking up the cause of poor tribals and protecting them from the “Satanic” system called the Indian Democracy. She explained with great graphical details how the tribals, who have been exploited by the Indian state for decades, have found their Robin Hood in the Naxals and how in the Naxal-controlled areas the police move in plain clothes while the Naxals roam in uniforms! The article created a lot of public interest and our Home Minister was hardly pleased. Desperate Maoists got their much needed positive publicity and suddenly Indian government and security forces began to remind us of the Nazis. Tales of agony flowing from the pen of a Booker awardee were hard not to believe and a lot many people started cursing the government for not developing the tribal areas.

So far so good. The Maoists proposed to make Roy a mediator between them and the government. Arundhati Roy backed off. Reason: She thinks she isn’t “fit” for the job. Amazingly, she found herself fit to run down the entire democratic setup of a country which gives her the right to speak her mind! Then came the Dantewada massacre in which 76 CRPF personnel were killed. Roy remained silent. Maybe she silently celebrated the butchering of the “Demons”. This was followed by the Gyaneshwari Express derailment in which common civilians were killed. Roy, the messiah of the poor and weak was expected to speak up now. After all, hasn’t she given her voice to civilians who suffered during Gujarat riots? Roy did speak this time.” I support the Maoists’ fight against the state, but I don’t support their method.”

The recent killings of 27 CRPF jawans and other incidents of civilian causalities has failed to garner any response from the diehard activist. Naxal violence has claimed more civilian lives this year alone than what was lost during the last 5 years in terrorist attacks in Kashmir. Our jawans are routinely butchered by these fanatics. But maybe they are not humans for Ms Roy. For that matter, anyone who is not in the business of bringing down the Indian State (e.g.: Sabarmati Express carnage victims, Sikh victims of 1984 riots, Kashmiri pandits) is not worthy of mention in the itinerary of Roy’s literary sojourn. She keeps mum at the atrocities meted out to our brave, innocent soldiers who are just doing their job but rips through them if they kill the “innocent” Naxalite. Down with the Human Rights violating Zionist Indian forces! Even the heart wrenching footages of mangled bodies of babies being pulled out of Gyaneshwari Express did not move our great writer. “Revolution” demands blood and it doesn’t matter to Ms Roy unless the blood is of the “revolutionary”.

Arundhati Roy represents a large group of Pseudo intellectuals who derive aesthetic pleasure in criticizing the system which is liberal enough to allow any kind of discussion. It’s time people come out against such “intellectuals” who use the journalistic freedom given by our constitution to defile the constitution itself. If Arundhati Roy finds herself incompetent to broker peace between the warring forces (I completely agree with your personal assessment Ms Roy), the least she can do is stop hurting the feelings of the families who have lost their kin in this bloody violence by glorifying the Maoists.

[From YKA Archives] 63 Facts About India You Should Be Proud Of

“What makes a nation, is the past, what justifies one nation against others is the past”, says the noted historian Eric Hobsbawm.

Hence, when talking of a nation, it becomes absolutely imperative that the past should also be talked about. And the past of India is fascinating and interesting as it is momentous.

After the entire nation observed and (hopefully) celebrated the 61st year of Indian Republic, many of us have perhaps forgotten that that day was important. The only thing that remains in our mind now, is the break from the regular work we had. Ironically, today, Valentines Day, New Years day etc. make us feel ecstatic and festive but Republic Day and other national days do not throw us into a similar festive frenzy. The reason being, there is no business opportunity, glamour or show off associated with our national festivals. Like all landmark revolutions in history this revolutionary change of mindset can only be brought about by the youth.

I urge the youth to look at all that India as a nation has achieved; be proud and determined to take her to new heights.

As a tribute to our nation (this Independence day) we present 60 facts about our motherland that we should be proud of. So here it goes:

1. Sanskrit is considered as the mother of all higher languages. It is the most precise and therefore suitable language for computer software. (A report in Forbes magazine, July 1987).

2. Although modern images & descriptions of India often show poverty, India was one of the richest countries before British rule in India, i.e. during the early 17th Century. Christopher Columbus was attracted by India’s wealth and was looking for a route to India when he discovered America by mistake. India has fed the greed of almost every powerful nation or ruler (that/who looked upon it, during those times) and is poised to be at the top of the world in all aspects.

3. India is the Largest democracy in the world, the 7th largest country in the world AND one of the most ancient and living civilizations (at least 10, 000 years old).

4. Despite the global meltdown that impacted most emerging market economies, India’s GDP growth of 7.1 per cent for the current year would make the country the second-fastest growing economy of the world.

5. India has the largest number of biomass gasifier systems in the world producing 656 mega watts (MW) of power.

6. India was the first country to be accorded the status of a Pioneer Investor in 1987 and was allocated an exclusive area in the central Indian Ocean by the UN for exploration and utilisation of resources.

7. Export of cars grew by 57 per cent in 2008-09 at 3.3 lakh units. Two-wheeler exports crossed the million-mark on a growth of 22.5 per cent in 2008-09.

8. India has the maximum number of post offices in the world!

9. India signed a ground breaking civil nuclear deal with US in 2008 thus facilitating fuel supply for its nuclear reactors. The deal offers potential for a paradigm shift in India’s global role. The importance of the deal does not lie merely in the transfer of nuclear energy. Its importance is psychological. It opens the door to a new era of trust and cooperation between India and the US.

10. India has the largest number of news channel in the world. It is the fastest growing telecom market in the world and has the lowest call rates on earth.

11. India is the 3rd largest producer of solar photovoltaic cells in the world producing 2.12 MW of power. India is the world’s 4th largest wind power user.

12. India is the 9th largest solar thermal power generating country in terms of million units per sq. m. It will have 20 million solar lights installed by 2022 which will save 1 billion litres of kerosene every year.

13. India has jumped five places to become the world’s 11th biggest exporter of commercial services in 2005, and inched one step ahead to the 29th rank among the largest merchandise exporters, according to the latest statistics by World Trade Organisation.

14. The Indian Software Industry has grown from a mere US $ 150 million in 1991-92 to a staggering US $ 5.7 billion in 1999-2000. No other Indian industry has performed so well against the global competition.

15. India is the world’s largest, oldest, continuous civilization.

16. India never invaded any country in her last 10,000 years of history.

17. IEEE has proved what has been a century old suspicion in the world scientific community that the pioneer of wireless communication was Prof. Jagdish Bose and not Marconi.

18. India has the second largest pool of Scientists and Engineers in the World.

19. India is the second largest English speaking nation in the world.

20. India is the only country other than the USA and Japan, to have built a super computer indigenously.

21. GM of Hewlett Packard, Chief Executives of CitiBank, Mckinsey & Stanchart, founder and creator of Hotmail, creator of Pentium chip are all Indians.

22. On 28 April 2008, a world record was set when India’s Polar rocket successfully placed ten satellites, including the country’s remote sensing satellite, into orbit in a single mission.

23. India is the world’s second largest producer of small cars. It is the largest newspaper market in the world.

24. World’s largest electronic ID program is underway in India.

25. Bollywood with about 400 films every year is the largest centre of film production in the world.

26. India is the largest producer of milk, cashew nuts, coconuts, tea, ginger, turmeric and black pepper, in the world. It also has the world’s largest cattle population (281 million). It is the second largest producer of wheat, rice, sugar, groundnut and inland fish.

27. The National Rural Employment Guarantee Act or NREGA, an Indian job guarantee scheme, enacted by legislation on August 25, 2005 is the largest ever – public employment programme visualized in human history.

28. The Mid-day Meal Scheme is the popular name for school meal programme in India, is the largest school lunch programme in the world, covering 12 million children.

29. Board of Control for Cricket in India, or BCCI, is the apex governing body for cricket in India is the richest body in world cricket.

30. The largest employer in the world is the Indian railway system, employing over a million people!

31. Until 1896, India was the only source for diamonds to the world. (Source: Gemological Institute of America )

32. The World’s first university was established in Takshila in 700 BC. More than 10,500 students from all over the world studied more than 60 subjects.

33. Indians abroad

* 38% of Doctors in America are Indians.

* 12% of Scientists in America are Indians.

* 36% of NASA employees are Indians.

* 34% of Microsoft employees are Indians.

* 28% of IBM employees are Indians.

* 17% of Intel employees are Indians.

* 13% of Xerox employees are Indians.

34. Varanasi, also known as Benares, was called “the ancient city” when Lord Buddha visited it in 500 B.C.E, and is the oldest, continuously inhabited city in the world today.

35. Jaipur(India) hosts the world’s widest concrete building. It has a reinforced concrete cement (RCC) flat roof with a single span of 119 feet.

36. By volume of pills produced, the Indian pharmaceutical industry is the world’s second largest after China.

37. ISRO has tested the third biggest solid rocket motot in the world after booster rocket of NASA’s space shuttle and Arianespace’s Ariane-5 launch vehicle.

38. A mass singalong of 160,000 people in the Indian city of Hyderabad, in Andhra Pradesh, has broken a 72-year-old record for the world’s largest choir.

39. India is the most attractive stock market in terms of asset allocation.

40. Indian banks are among top 500 financial brands.

41. India born steel czar Lakshmi Mittal and Reliance Industries chairman Mukesh Ambani figure in the forbes list of “World’s most powerful billionares” who wield staggering authority and influence far beyond their riches.

42. The Indian media and entertainment business that grew 15 percent anually since 2006 into a $11.68 billion industry in 2008 is seen to toop $21 billion over the next five years.

43. United Nations Industrial Development Organisation found that India ranks among the top 12 producers of manufacturing value-added(MVA) .

44. Indian American Prof. Praveen Jain of Queens University is heading the project to make CFL’s more efficient.

45. The TATA group, State Bank of India and Infosys Technologies are among 17 Indian firms that figure among the top 50 in the list of the world’s 200 most-reputed companies.

46. India’s contribution to scientific research and innovation has been constantly rising since 2000 according to a study. The number of articles published in global science journals by Indians has increased from around 17000 in 2001 to more than 27000 in 2007.

47. India is to be the first international customer of the Boeing P-81 Poseidon variant of the P-8A Poseidon.

48. Exports from SEZ’s in India have increased by over 25% in the 3 months ended June 2009:a very positive indicator.

49. India has been ranked the second most-optimistic nation in the world in consumer confidence, according to a survey by global consultancy firm, Nielson.

50. Indian origin 96-year old, Randall Butisingh, now a Florida resident is the world’s oldest blogger. He runs a popular blog http://randallbutisingh.wordpress.com

51. Pepsico, the $43-billion beverages and snacks company, had its annual global meet in India for the first time, in 2009.This was the second time this meeting was held outside US. Last time it was in Mexico.

52. To ensure timely payment of wages to workers under the National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (NREGA), more than two crores worth of saving bank accounts have been opened in banks and post offices across the country. This is the largest number of bank accounts linked to a development programme across the globe.

53. Volunteers in Dungarpur, India planted 600,000 trees in 24 hours under the guidance of Indian Forestry Service which is a world record.

54. Reliance Group of Companies in India has the maximum number of shareholders in the world.

55. State Bank of India has the maximum number of branches in the world.

56. Dr M.C. Modi holds the world record for performing maximum eye operations @ 40 operations per hour.

57. With 1,300.000 active personnel and 1,800,000 reserve ones, the Indian Army is the world’s second largest army in terms of military personnel, and the largest in terms of active manpower.

58. The largest reflecting telescope of Asia is in Kavalur Observatory (India).It is an indigenously built 93 inch telescope.

59. The economy of India is the twelfth largest economy in the world by nominal value and the fourth largest by purchasing power parity (PPP).It is the world’s second-fastest growing major economy.

60. Apart from these quantitative figures, qualitatively India has been the world leader in culture, ethics, religion, humanity since the very inception of humanity on earth. World is slowly realising the importance of these values.

61. India has the second largest network of paved highways, after the U.S.

62. Nearly 49% of the high-tech start-ups in silicon Valley and Washington, D.C. are owned by Indians or Indian-Americans.

63. India sends more students to U.S. colleges than any country in the world. In 2004-2005, over 80,000 Indian students entered the U.S. China sent only 65,000 students during the same time.

So what do you think? Does this list make you proud of India?

Jai Hind- 63 Years of Independence: Wassup With The Youth? [A Reality Check]

WOW! It’s been 63 long years since we became independent. A nation free from a dictatorship. A nation ready to challenge the world with its pure heart, soul and the lovable Indian pride. Ask your grandparents and they would give you the exact picture of how things were back then. How people were, how the youth was.

In the Indian freedom struggle the young freedom fighters had an essential role to play. From the protests and agitations, to the delivery of important messages, to being in the front and not bowing down without a fight and much more. But as they say, history is history; and we say, history repeats itself.

The last decade has been one of the most eventful ones. From the Gujarat massacre in 2001-02 to the very recent Kashmir conflict development (2010), the youth has been involved in all. But as I reckon, the youth that was — is not the youth that is. The youngsters who are fuelling India as a part of over 65% of its population are certainly not the ones who belonged to the same generation 63 years ago.

Most of us have not lived that era, but we are living this one. As a team, Youth Ki Awaaz has been closely watching and tracking the youth, for all that it does and for all that it can.

Today as I write this post, I do not wish to berate our generation, nor do I wish to pat on our backs. There are a number of recent incidents that might help me define my generation better. A generation that is rude, in the face and not so cool. In 2001-02, when Gujarat faced a massacre, it was the young and furious — but more frustrated due to their own problems — who participated in the unwanted and unfortunate riots. They had no respect for life, in fact, they were not even related to the issue. But they were there. Blindfolded. This is what we are. In Kashmir, it is the frustrated youth that has been played with, and is now pelting stones at the nation’s face. It is this generation that swears to be honest, but gets engrossed in the rat race to reach the top, thus taking all possible unethical paths. So much so that we cut off our roots if they stop us from going ahead. It is this very generation that has beconme self-centered and selfish, so much so that we don’t even care if that half injured person on the road is dead or needs urgent help. But, we love to shout out loud claims. As Rajat Upneja, a student and a part of our generation feels, “We can’t claim to understand the depths of what this freedom means… Most of it, like this piece, is pure opinion – and though I’m all for emotion, I think we almost cheapen the day with some of our social displays of Independence celebration and completing our formality.”

The young generation today has become over ambitious, and as they say, an extra dose of anything is not beneficial to health. The young is ignorant. In India, we have had a track record of bandh’s, riots, and much more. The fuel for such incidents has been the ignorant youth — with tall claims of honesty. Probably you would not relate yourself to this type, but the fact is that a majority of our age group comprises of this type, who are devoid of the right kind of awareness and education.

When a young lady walks down a lone street — or even if the street is well populated — this is the generation that stares at her, looks at her, up and down, scans her completely — virtually raping her individuality — until the visual pleasure is received. And then, a few from amongst us take to even more heinous crimes, crossing all levels of decency. Trisha Srivastava, a student of Amity feels, “Though the youngsters are modernised, girls still don’t have the freedom to walk on the roads due to lack of security, and more so, due to the lack of ethical mentality.”

Getting irritated with elders, having “fun” in a way that is objectionable to others — and much more — have become a trademark of our generation.

I can go on and on, talking about the well known reality, but as a fact of the matter, the obliviant will stay oblivious. This generation has a majority that is ignorant, ready to chop of the person next to them to sound right, but, this is the generation that can learn from the past, live the present, and change the future, because it is only when a complete generation awakens, can we put our words into the right action. India has not seen a mass youth movement since the past 5 decades (the last one being a pan India youth movement by the Samajwadi youth against the use of English as a language); but India has seen the consequences of distrurbing the truthful fabric of of the nation. When in 2006, reservations were being brought in, a group of young medical students got together to fight against this odd, and they did not bow down. When hunger was at an all time high in Madurai, a young N. Krishnan took the lead in his city and made sure that he delivered food to every young beggar, every morning. It is youngsters like Shibayan Raha who have left their luxurious lives to fight for their cause. There is a hero within us, a hero who has come out whenever the need be. And the time has come yet again.

Things are changing this time. As Shruthi Venukumar puts it, “Statistically speaking, education levels have gone up by generous notches since independence. We have come to a sort of unemployment generated due to deficiency of white-collar jobs open to graduates and above from unemployability due to illiteracy. Reservations, though widely denounced, have extended the education coverage to the minorities and made youth’s lives better and in the process, percolation of prosperity has taken place.

Open-mindedness in terms of social mores has come in, but a phenomenon that is seen only in a few parts of the urban India as even today there are perfectly educated young brothers murdering sisters for marrying outside the caste or within the same Gotra.

Awareness and exposure from almost all quarters (including social media) is making the urban youth well-rounded and giving them a platform to blurt out their feelings.”

When we call ourselves youth, we often forget about the youth that is in majority, a breed that lives in the real India, the rural India. The ones who are kept in the dark by our leaders, and the ones who we don’t care about. Because, they are so low class, right? There has been a great divide between the two Indias. Not only this, there has been a great divide within ourselves — between the two generations we live within us. One that dreams high, one that fears of dreaming. One that lives for tomorrow, another that lives with the fear of today. One that goes out and gets things done, the other that rests in the dungeons of yesterday. This is the generation we belong to. The generation that does not hesitate taking to alcohol for a more modern appeal. The generation that considers its culture as a berated piece of history that needs to be mugged up and forgotten after the exam. The generation that does not hesitate to insult an elder. The generation that has been trained by their parents how to make the other person look like a sham. The generation that does not hesitate to kill on religious lines.

The stages pass from the hopeful youth at the time of Independence to the disillusioned youth in the war years, to the privileged yet disillutioned youth of the liberalization period to the period of obsession with imports and fascination with foreign shores to this period when India has emerged as an investment spot with innumerable job opportunities.

As a video ad puts it, we have great responsibilities ahead of us, greater challenges, and above all, the greatest zest to see things change, to act against injustice, to rebel against the wrong, to see things differently. Leaving behind status quo. Lets make people understand that they cannot ignore us, because we change things. We will push the human race forward. We need to be crazy enough to think that we can change the world, change ourselves first. Because the people who are crazy enough, are the ones who do it. We need to take the lead and make this happen, and not let this be another piece of writing. Youth once gone will never come back. Think, act, do.

Be the change you wish to see in the world.

The Kashmir Conflict: Will They Lose Us?

Kashmir is on the boil, and there seems to be no end to it. What started off as a mass protest against the alleged killings of two teenagers has now spiraled into an uncontrollable flame that has claimed over a dozen civilian lives in the last few weeks. The separatist factions have only added fuel to this fire. They not only incite people to attack the police and government buildings, but have also come up with a weekly calendar which shows Friday as a holiday instead of Sunday and has a schedule of protest rallies for the week.

A state with one of the highest rate of unemployment and insurgency couldn’t have asked for something worse. Youngsters are being made into professional stone-pelters by the separatists and poor teenagers are also joining the league, and worse — they are being paid for this (unemployment forces people to take it up).  The agony and frustration of these wounded souls couldn’t have found a deadlier outlet as of now. The CRPF is on backfoot after numerous allegations of firing at innocent people and the police as always is inept in dealing with any crisis. First time Chief Minister Omar Abdullah is facing a crisis that many seasoned politicians would have found impossible to deal with.

Naysayers predict this as the beginning of the end of India’s hold over Kashmir. Or is it the beginning of the end of Kashmir’s hold over India? For decades, Indians, irrespective of their statehood and religion have accepted Kashmir as India’s crown. India has pumped in billions to protect Kashmir from the fangs of terrorism. The mountains have been painted red by the blood of our soldiers fighting for nothing but Kashmir. An entire community that had lived in the valley for centuries was evicted just to satisfy the separatists who view anything non-Islamic as anti-Kashmir.Violence has charred the psyche of the poor masses to such an extent that they refuse to realize that “Azaadi” or an accession to Pakistan won’t make them any better. How can a country that is unable to stop bombs going off daily in its major cities offer respite to the Kashmiris? How can a country that is globally acknowledged as a failed state make Kashmir a success? How can the militants that don’t spare Muslims of Islamic nations like Pakistan, Afghanistan and Iraq leave Kashmiris on their own if it’s declared a sovereign nation? Can’t Kashmir be their way to India?

I do not justify the killing of innocents, be it at the hand of terrorists or Indian security forces. I have not lost anyone close to me in a terrorist attack and so, I do not claim to understand fully the grief of the mothers who have lost their sons at the altar of this ongoing madness. But I know one thing- Hatred is never an answer.

Dr.Shah Faesal, a Kashmiri topped this year’s Civil services exam. The untimely death of his father in 2002 at the hands of unidentified militants days before his Pre-Medical Test did not deter Dr. Faesal from clearing the examination or becoming the first candidate from Kashmir in several years to be selected to the IAS through open merit. If this champ could rise against all that is bad in Kashmir today, then so can the disillusioned youths of the valley. They need to understand that the best way to promote Kashmir is to be a part of the system. If this flawed system of ours is good enough for Gujarat, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu and Bihar, then there’s no reason why it won’t be for Kashmir. The only thing is, Kashmir has to give itself one more chance. Kashmir has to understand that India and Indians love them and care for them. Contrary to what the separatists will say, we don’t call Kashmir the “Heaven on Earth” for no reason. Kashmir is a testimony to our dreams of a nation where people aren’t judged on the basis of their religion. We don’t discriminate against Kashmir. Let’s hope Kashmir doesn’t discriminate itself.

If Kashmir is lost, India will lose a battle against treachery, bigotism and fundamentalism. But the biggest loss will be of Kashmir because Kashmiriyat will be lost forever. At the Oscars, A.R Rehman , in his acceptance speech said- “ All my life I’ve had a choice between hate and love, and I chose love, and now I’m here”. Kashmir, I pray you choose the same.