FROM MAULANA'S DESK

This kind of development is one-sided. Jesus Christ rightly said: “Man does not live by bread alone”. (Matthew 4: 4) India is now in a position to present a new model of qualitative democracy; that is, value-based democracy. Everyone talks about bharatiya parampara (the Indian tradition). What is the Indian tradition? I have made an in-depth study of this subject. I can say that basically there are two important aspects of the Indian tradition: peace and spirituality. Peace and spirituality make up the real identity of India. India can thus emerge as the harbinger of these two values. Peace and spirituality make up the real identity of India. As far as peace is concerned, India under the leadership of Mahatma Gandhi adopted the peaceful method for its freedom struggle. This method was so successful that India emerged as the foremost name in pacifism. India became the identity of peace. Everywhere in the world anyone who wants peace refers to the Indian example. Now it is the turn of spirituality. The subject of spirituality has become a fad. Everyone in the modern world wants spirituality. But the only hope lies in India. India, at least potentially, is a spiritual nation. What is required is to turn this potential into reality. India possesses spiritual qualities in the fullest sense of the word and the present world is greatly in need of spirituality. The need of the hour is to combine these two aspects, and the result will be in the form of a new international phenomenon; that is, the emergence of India as a spiritual superpower of the world. o Maulana Wahiduddin Khan editor@thespiritofislam.org Be Truthful In this world falsehood too may appear to carry weight, but in the Hereafter nothing will carry weight except the truth.