‘Steel In The Nerves, Passion In The Heart, Fire In The Veins, Determination In The Brain, Purity In The Character, Love For The Nation, Care For The Family.’
We, the people of India, carry this combination of five alphabets, that is, INDIA, within us in every drop of blood, every beat of the heart, every dream we see and every breath we take.
उत्तरं यत्समुद्रस्य हिमाद्रेश्चैव दक्षिणम् ।
This shloka of the VISHNU PURANAM means - Bharatam (India) is the land which lies to the south of the Himalayas, to the north of the Indian Ocean and the people who live here are called Bharatiya (Indians).
We, the people of India, feel a different kind of rhythm in our heartbeat when we hear the word ‘India’. It happens for innumerable valid reasons. If we ask to name the superpowers in the world, we would get to hear the names of the USA and China at the top. Be it in the economic sense or defense might, they lead. Now, here the use of but is inevitable. The USA has a population that is one-fourth of that of India. India is a democracy with more than 900 million voters having their say in choosing whom they are willing to be governed by.
So, there are two points to be pondered upon. One, India is arranging resources for the population which is four times that of the USA. A big chunk of resources goes into the feeding and survival of the citizens. Still, India has a name at the top in various fields in the world. India is the largest exporter of many things. India is in the top three countries as an outsourcing destination. Can the USA do this? Second, India has been invaded and faced colonialization and has been plundered many times. War eats up the development prospects. War pushes the country behind by years. Has the USA faced this? Still, India has achieved a considerable amount of respect and acceptance of its might in the international arena. Now an argument can come up that China has a larger population as compared to India. They managed to rank just behind the USA in terms of GDP. Agreed. But are they running a democratic setup? When it comes to liberty indicators or having a say in the Socio-Political setup, India is the best place to live in the world. With more than 900 million voters and innumerable political parties, where one party with the support of even 18 or 20 MPs can keep the ruling Govt. under pressure and influence the policy making, free will of the Govt. takes the back seat and development gets a huge pull back. In 1998, BJP Govt. fell short of one vote and re-election was held giving a dent of 10000 crores to the economy which could have been used for the development. Listening to more than 1.3 billion people having so much diversity in language, rituals, lifestyles and beliefs and still finding a common good and doing the planning that ensures well being of everyone is by no means a small thing to do.
Is the liberty quotient higher in China as compared to India? The biggest thing India feels proud of is that India has never invaded even an inch of foreign territory.
India has always supported a policy of peace and development at the global stage. Despite being engulfed by the countries which are not in friendlier terms with India, India is doing substantially good. India’s value system and belief in humanity has been recognized by the world. The way India helped other countries during the pandemic is just magnificent.
When it comes to assess India’s standing on global platform in terms of science and technology, India has contributed immensely. It makes India a leader in the world when even a few of the developed nations approach India to launch their satellites as no other country in the world can be more cost-effective in this field. There was a reason to feel brimming with pride when in 2019 NASA launched a 64-gram satellite made by the students of Tamil Nadu.
It was the smallest and lightest satellite in the world.
Now, coming to the historical footprints of India, Mark Twain said aptly, “Varanasi is older than history, older than tradition, older even than legend, and looks twice as old as all of them put together.” India has the oldest surviving city and religion called Hinduism, the oldest on this earth.
India was the first country to mine the diamonds. The richest country in the world till the British invasion in the 18th century, India was called the Golden Sparrow.
The geographical beauty of India is worth admiring by the world. At over 19,300 feet, the Ladakh road is the highest motorable road in the world. Dense forests, a Web of rivers, beautiful lakes including the World’s Oldest Meteoric Crater Lake, Lonar Lake in Maharashtra, a Plateau full of mineral wealth, Northern plains ranking among the most fertile land in the world, surrounded by the Indian Ocean on the south, the Arabian Sea on the west and the Bay of Bengal on the east and with a divine abode known as the Himalayas at the northern limit of the country, all this adds up to make India a serene beauty.
India is just amazing in sports also. With the richest cricket board in the world, India rules the game. One most amazing feat India had achieved has to be told in a short story. In 1900, in Paris, India won the gold medal in Athletics by Norman Pritchard but he was a British Indian. In 1928, India won the gold medal in Hockey and the team members were all Indians. That win started a glorious journey and India ruled the game and the event for the next 36 years. India went on to win gold in hockey in 1932,1936, 1948,1952 and 1956. In 1940 and 1944 Olympics weren’t held because of the second world war. In 1960 India lost to Pakistan 0-1 but India believes in squaring off. In 1964, India returned that one goal to Pakistan and won back the gold with a 1-0 score beating Pakistan in the final.
Books can be written with infinite facts substantiating the glory of India.
India is just amazing undoubtedly.