India - a Supreme Power

Is India really shining? Is it really on the path of becoming a superpower? Optimistic Indians would assert an affirmation but it is time one had a reality check. India is surely marching ahead, but are all the Indians marching ahead or is it just a small fraction of the population doing so? India can surely boast of a growth rate of around 8-9 per cent but one needs to ask if this growth is trickling down to the lower strata of the populace.

India is a conglomerate of diverse ethnic, cultural, financial, lingual groups. It is still caught in the clutches of communal violence. Religion is exploited to create a divide in the people, the Godhra riots, Sikh riots in Delhi, violence in MP, Gujarat and other places is a common occurrence. West Bengal, Assam and other North Indian states are often held at ransom due to ethnic violence and rioting. Such violence creates deep scars and ingrains such deep hatred in the hearts of the targeted communities that it does not only have psychological implications, it hinders the economy of the particular place as well. Take for example the recent riots in Siliguri by the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha supporters or the recent Gujjar riots that erupted in Rajasthan. These incidents brought life in these areas to a standstill as people rampaged on the roads, burnt buses, blocked national highways which are the arteries of transportation. Total chaos reigned and in Siliguri, the army had to be deployed. Can a country which witnesses such clashes so frequently be a superpower? India surely is a country of diversity but it is diversity without unity. Certainly not the makings of a superpower. These riots also highlight the fact that there is so much unoccupied and impressionable youth in the country that in the absence of anything better to do, they participate with utmost zeal in destabilizing the country.

India has a staggering proportion of illiterate population. The Times Of India recently brought to light the fact that the number...