I bet that the present day generation is more practical and dedicated, having been exposed to American & international ideas.
I doubt it. Besides, the present government (which btw, is overwhelmingly supported by those who have been "exposed to American & international ideas") is extremely xenophobic. Its president recently even made noises about India pulling out of WTO, something that would be unthinkable for any country that is eager to tap into the global economy.
And their attitude towards the US is "take it or leave it". Which is ridiculous, to say the least. Unlike the Chinese who adopt a very effective "stoop to conquer" strategy. Ironically, India's Mahatma Gandhi was an expert at identifying the good in any person, and then subtly working on it to achieve his objective. Alas, the art seems to have died along with him.
Things are going to change. Don't bet against India. The churlish Churchillian characterization of Gandhi as a half-naked fakir epitomizes the perceived notion about Indians in the eyes of the world.
Churchill had a personal dislike for Gandhi. However, some of his other observations about India, though harsh, seem to be very prescient. One was his claim that the British were leaving India in the hands of "men of straw" and that within 50 years, they will make a mess of the country. And another was that the Indian people, who had led reasonably peaceful lives under the "broad, tolerant and impartial rule" of the British, would, as soon as the British left India, begin to "lunge at each other's throats like savages".
If the Indians ever wanted to prove Churchill wrong, they have not been trying too hard at it, for sure.
Dipy. |
