India becoming Superpower

15 Aug 2010, Bangalore. It's 12:00 AM here, I am aware of the fact is It's 63 years since India has first celebrated it's Independence and perhaps that is the reason I am still awake.

Today I was at IISc (India's only institute dedicated for research) attending a lecture on Yoga, when I read this -

"When the Nobel award was announced I saw it as a personal triumph, an achievement for me and my collaborators -- a recognition for a very remarkable discovery, for reaching the goal I had pursued for 7 years। But when I sat in that crowded hall and I saw the sea of western faces surrounding me, and I, the only Indian, in my turban and closed coat, it dawned on me that I was really representing my people and my country। I felt truly humble when I received the Prize from King Gustav; it was a moment of great emotion but I could restrain myself. Then I turned round and saw the British Union Jack under which I had been sitting and it was then that I realised that my poor country, India, did not even have a flag of her own - and it was this that triggered off my complete breakdown." - It was none other than Sir C V Raman in his personal note, when he received nobel prize in 1930 (He also happened to be first Indian director of IISc). For a moment I got shivering after reading this. Today despite of so much development, if somebody recieves Nobel Prize, will he be in a better condition than Sir Raman ?

India, after independence, has progressed and progressed well but was it able to keep par with other countries, specially in education, employment, medicine, science & technology ? - that's a question we need to ponder today. Let's not talk about the problems today - be it corruption, population, climate change etc., not because I have accepted the fact that in current system these can't be eradicated, because somewhere I feel if the approach remains positive and progressive in right direction these things will automatically die away. And also because I have unflinching faith in our seers and sages - be it Shankaracharya, Swami Vivekananda, Sri Aurobindo (Today is also his birthday) or my Gurudev Pandit Shriram Sharma Acharya who conceived "India becoming superpower'.

"Indian becoming superpower" - now it is not something limited to Spiritual community or unheard of in rest of material world. It is being talked in bits-and-pieces, silently and loudly almost everywhere. For Spirituality - the world has always turned to the east and specific to India and I have not an inch of doubt it will be true for ages till Himalaya is there, Ganges is there, Yoga is there, Gayatri mantra is there. Entire world has been benefitted from it without any bias on country, race or religion or paying for patents because it has been originated from here.

I am concerned, and so was Sir C V Raman also and perhaps you will also agree about something for which there are possessions, there are patents, there are biasings. For which world has reasons to see Indians inferior to Americans or Europeans. Yes I am talking about progress in material world or to pe precise scientific progress. It's not because I assume (agreeing with the world) that it should be sufficient reason for being called inferior or superior, rather because are we self-empowered? We have almost lost ancient science but are we progressed sufficiently in modern science. We have lost the pride of becoming inventer of Zero, Decimal System, Velocity of light, Ayurveda, Distance of earth to sun, Pyrotechniques etc. just because we were unable the maintain it. Now India is almost dependent for every single technology - be it aerospace, automobile, medicine, chemistry, or astronomy. India is either a user base or service base but never a technology base. It is perhaps one of the dying need of India as I see.

Well after saying this, as I noticed in the past, India has two ways of getting things done. Either the citizens should awake, realize the problem and start doing their bit, or if it's not happening there will come a storm - name it Shankaracharya, Vivekananda or Gandhi, who alone will shake the world and prove all the stastitics wrong. At last it is God's Will for India to shine.

Shall we wait for that storm to come or start doing our bit? I have chosen my way, may Mother help me contributing to fulfil this will when India will emerge as a Superpower, - be my contribution scientific, spiritual or a union of the two.

"India of the ages is not dead nor has she spoken her last creative word; she lives and has still something to do for herself and the human peoples. " - Sri Aurobindo

Happy Independence Day !!