Indians all over the world should be proud of their motherland, which has made great progress in all spheres of life and is regarded as a good example of a thriving democracy.
The biggest challenge facing the Indian polity is corruption, with a host of scandals involving politicians and high-ranking officials hitting headlines.
These scandals have severely dented the not-so-flattering image of politicians, exposing the epidemic proportions to which corruption has rotted the society.
It was therefore not surprising that the movement started by a non-politico social worker Anna Hazare has received wide support both in India and abroad.
The powerful media in India has brought several scandals to the public domain but what is needed is the assertive leadership of politicians and fair probing by investigating agencies to ensure that guilty are brought to justice.
It is also important to change the mindset of people into believing that they need to bribe anyone to receive services from public offices.
A sustained campaign against corruption must run through all tiers of the government and the society.
Today’s India consists of an aspiring society, exposed to the world, and working hard to achieve its rightful place.
Politicians must realise that the Indian voters are increasingly becoming intolerant towards corruption and misadministration and hence failure to act now could spell their political doom.
It is also time for the second generation of economic reforms.
Market reforms of 1992 spurred economic growth and prosperity. The Government must initiate a new plan of action to accelerate growth, taking into account the segments of the population that have not reaped the benefits of progress thus far.
There is a need to end the paradox of shining new malls and farmer suicides.
India is a country of 1.2 billion people of different religions and economic standings, co-existing peacefully. It has seen wars, natural calamities and economic problems of vast magnitude, but has emerged stronger from each of these over the years.
The indomitable spirit of the common Indian makes us confident that the current challenges would be overcome, allowing the country to march ahead to become a world leader.
Apurv Shukla, a resident of Auckland, describes himself as ‘an amateur writer.’
