EMERGENCE OF A NEW INDIA — Peace and Spirituality

In the twenty-first century this is the greatest challenge before India. John Kenneth Galbraith (1908-2006) was a Canadian-American economist and diplomat. He served as the US Ambassador to India from 1961 to 1963. Galbraith once remarked that India was a functioning anarchy (Rival Economic Theories in India, Foreign Affairs, July 1958). Many other people have also made such statements about India. It is our duty to dispel this notion. It is the duty of the opinion-makers to make India a true democracy and a spiritual society. Our leaders often claim that India is the largest democracy. This claim, however, is in terms of quantity. We have to make it qualitative. It is quality that matters, and not simply quantity. In terms of quantity, democracy is just a crowd. Conversely, in terms of quality, democracy is the greatest social boon. It is the duty of the opinion-makers to make India a true democracy and a spiritual society. Present India gives us enormous opportunities, but to avail these opportunities towards a healthy end is our own task. o Leave the Conflict The policy of avoidance does not mean cowardice. It simply means refraining from wasting time and energy in a futile conflict.