INDIA: A SPIRITUAL SUPERPOWER

INDIA: A SPIRITUAL SUPERPOWER August 15, 2022, marks the beginning of the 75th year of Independence of India. The Government of India celebrated the 75 years of Independence of India with great excitement. These celebrations were marked under the name ‘Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav'. Maulana Wahiduddin Khan believed that India can show the way to the world toward peaceful and spiritually-elevated existence. To mark this momentous occasion, we reproduce here Maulana’s message to the people of India. I have always maintained that India is a potential spiritual superpower. As a matter of ancient tradition, India may be called a land of spirituality. Here, I recall an event pertaining to Swami Vivekanand. During a visit of his to America, he was walking along a street in Chicago, and according to the Swami tradition, he was clad in just two pieces of untailored cloth. An American lady, seeing him in these clothes, found this very strange. She whispered to her husband: “I don’t think that person is a gentleman”. Swamiji overheard this. He went up to her and said, “Excuse me, madam, in your country a tailor makes a man a gentleman. But in the country from which I come, character makes a man a gentleman”. Here, I would like to add a very relevant story. Mother Teresa was born in Europe. She visited India and was so fascinated with this land of spirituality that she decided to settle here. She dedicated her entire life to social upliftment. In recognition of her services, she was awarded the prestigious Nobel Prize. On this occasion, she was invited to the USA to address an American audience there. She began her address with these historic words: “I have come from a rich country to a poor country”. She was indeed referring to the spiritual wealth of this country. It is a fact that India has a long tradition of spirituality and moral values. In other words, potentially, India is a spiritual powerhouse. This is the true spirit of India. We only need to revive ancient Indian traditions in our lives, for India to emerge as a spiritual superpower in the world. It will be able to conquer the world with its spiritual power. But turning this Indian potential into reality would need a long and sincere effort.