India has been named the third most powerful nation behind the US and China by "Global Governance 2025" report, issued jointly by the US' National Intelligence Council and EU's Institute for Security Studies.
The Sensex rose beyond the 20000-mark on the same day the footbridge collapsed near a CWG stadium just days before the tournament is set to begin. Talk about sending out contrasting images.
Can we continue to evaluate the strength and progress of a nation based only on the GDP figures and the economic performance? Look at India. On the one hand, we performed exceptionally well when the whole of West was plagued by the recession. But on the other, there are three emphatic negatives.
Firstly, the CWG issue. It is the most blatant display of corruption on such a grand scale. A lot has been written about how corrupt our officials are and how they use our established system to shield themselves. What has not been written about is the origin of the tendency to be corrupt. Are all individuals inherently corrupt? Of course not! Then why is corruption such a malaise in our country? It is our education system that needs to be blamed and all parents too to a certain extent. With all the emphasis on outperforming your peers, ethics has taken a backseat and in several cases has vanished completely. The level of corruption that exists all around me disgusts and sickens me.
Secondly, the Kashmir issue. I cannot begin to comprehend what the issue is here. Why all the protests? What is it that the protesters want? To join Pakistan? Who in their right mind would CHOOSE to join the eternally on-the-decline Pakistan instead of the "third most powerful nation" India? To form a separate nation? A nation that has nothing to offer to its people except the potential to be a world terrorist hub? Again, who in their right mind would choose that over being a part of India? Our "leaders" aren't able to make the Kashmiris see this simple fact. But it is the residents of Kashmir who are at fault here more than the people in power. They are simply high on religion. Whatever the reason and whoever it is at fault here, the consequence is that it is a disgrace to the nation.
And thirdly, the naxal menace. There have been more killings due to naxal activities this year than several earlier years put together. Just like the Kashmir issue, the naxal issue is spiralling into a disastrous phenomenon.
If India is the third most powerful nation, are the several other countries much worse off?
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