Oct 06, 2025
Oct 06, 2025
I think all thinking Indians who love this great country have a vision for its future. Most think about it but very few write it down. Naturally that vision is dictated by their existing circumstances, their history and the forces acting on them at the time when they write the vision document. Same is with me and what I have written in this essay is a distillation of all my work and dreams that I have for India. I have written quite a few articles earlier on my vision of India, but they have been on broad general lines. This document hopefully presents a road map of India of my dreams.
Also, as one grows old there is a desire to pen down the vision. Whether it will happen in one’s lifetime is a different story, but it is a vision, nonetheless.
Normally such vision documents are produced by government agencies at the behest of politicians. Most of the time a date (year number) is put on them to indicate when the vision should be achieved. Unfortunately, most times they fail miserably.
Those dates are mostly meaningless since the groundwork is never laid or chalked out, so the number remains just a number. Thus, with great fanfare, the vision documents are released and very soon they are forgotten. Besides, the dates promised in the document are so far down the line that when it is reached most of those politicians are gone and very few remember whether such a document was ever written.
In my case, there is no date primarily because I have no power to execute this vision and besides there are millions of factors which can affect such a vision. But broadly I have written how I would like to see India grow and proceed in a certain direction so that it can be a beacon of hope and model for the world. I am sure the readers may have their own vision for India, and it will be wonderful to share and debate those visions.
Also, most of the times Government vision statements are very cut and dry and based upon the existing scenarios with very little imagination put in the document. I feel a good vision statement should be based on broad philosophical foundations and could be utopian. After all, utopias are based on dreams and worth striving for since they give the upper limit of what is achievable.
There are three components of this vision. They are people and goals who together can show us the way forward.
People
A country achieves greatness only when its people rise to the occasion inspired by great thoughts and enlightened leaders. Our people are our greatest strength provided they are inspired.
To inspire them we need to do the following:
(1) Create conditions by which they remain here in India and help make this country great. Even if they go out to foreign lands, we should create conditions so that they come back and help in the progress of the country.
(2) To inculcate in them the habit to work honestly and diligently so that they can create a happy lifestyle which is holistic in nature and is sustainable.
(3) To make them attached to the story of India and give them a purpose in life.
The young students and youth of this country are our greatest resource and strength. However, they are influenced by their society, peers and parents and when they are continuously told by elders that there is nothing good in the country, they want to leave. This brainwashing is further reinforced by what they see and perceive themselves.
Presently their perception (based on many interactions with youngsters) on the existing situation is as follows:
1. People by and large are honest and hardworking provided they feel that their work will lead to results, and they are not discriminated against. With so many reservations in jobs, education seats and in general work, they feel that hard work is not enough.
2. People also feel positive when they see the conditions in the country are good for growth and free of strife so no tensions in society are created. This means there is a rule of law which is not arbitrary and is implemented based on moral, good and fair principles.
3. When divisions in society are created, constitutional institutions are weakened or destroyed, and the only purpose of governance is to remain in power, then people lose faith in the system and want to run away from the country.
4. Breakdown of law and order is the first casualty of corruption and dictatorship and leads to decay in society. This is the perception of youth, and they feel that in India what matters is whom you know and not what you know! It creates an atmosphere of fear which is not conducive for either investments or innovations and creates discouragement for youngsters.
5. We seem to have an archaic education system which is mostly based on outdated syllabus and focused more on passing exam rather than getting knowledge. For lots of young students this is not palatable, and they feel they will not learn much in the country and hence want to go out and learn new things.
Gandhi ji came on the Indian scene in early 1910s at a time of despair when Indians had lost all hope of ever gaining independence. He raised their consciousness and gave them a higher thought by which Indians could behave and even fight the British. He also gave them confidence to take matters in their own hand. So, a positive human faith can help to overcome any bleak situation.
Just after independence lots of excellent people from abroad came back because they felt hope in making a new India. It is the hope which fires people’s imagination to do great things.
However, hope is lost when people feel that the rulers are not interested in the welfare of the country but only in filling their and their cronies’ pockets. This creates a lack of confidence, despondency and fuels the desire to leave the country.
I therefore feel that a new and noble thought, which creates hope for better India and is based on higher human values, should be produced and propagated. It will inspire them to remove fear and if embraced enthusiastically may help them to make the necessary changes to the present circumstances. Throughout the history of mankind such events have taken place in different countries to create revolutions and new order.
I feel Spirituality + Technology = Happiness could be one such thought. It is based on the principle that technology guided by spirituality leads to sustainability and happiness. Spirituality tempers our greed for resources, wealth, fame and control. Besides it allows us to use technology more efficiently and for common good. This could be a new paradigm of development not only for India but also the world.
We can inspire the youth when goals and national mission are defined properly. After defining them by the powers to be, people should be given the necessary freedom to achieve those goals. Many a times people are intelligent enough to develop their own paths and mechanisms to achieve those national goals. National goals aligned with personal goal of happiness and fulfillment can also give a purpose of life to youngsters.
Goals (Meat of the vision document)
There could be as many goals as there are people. However, here I am listing very broad goals and feel that when a general framework is laid out the small local goals can also be met.
(1) To create a society where everybody can live decently and sustainably without fear and possibly based on the principle of Spirituality + Technology = Happiness.
(2) To create environment so that youngsters work hard, become curious and lead a fulfilling life.
(3) To create conditions by which the students and children are attached to the story of India and live and work ethically. For this they need to be exposed and schooled in the great traditions of India’s philosophy, history, art and other achievements. We need great teachers to inspire them and school them to be curious and fearless. Inspired young minds are the most powerful engine to positively change the country. This will also give them a purpose in life.
(4) To create employment opportunities for majority of people with emphasis on manufacturing and farming.
(5) To reduce greed so that the resources of country can be utilized equitably and properly. Greed can be reduced by practicing spirituality. Reduction of greed is a necessary condition for the corporate world to be actively involved in nation building.
(6) To create conditions so that people with high income can move to rural areas and to make the necessary changes in the farmland acquisition laws so that non-agriculturists can own agriculture lands. They can then become engines of change in these areas.
(7) To create conditions where excellent R&D is done in every sphere of society. The history of civilization is the history of R&D which created technologies and ideas to improve the quality of life. India’s education system should be tailored and focused on it for solving the country’s unique problems both for rural and urban areas.
These are some of the goals that come to the mind presently. The main thing is once the basic goals are laid out and accepted and adequate freedom is given to people to flower and prosper, they find their own ingenious ways to realize them.
Way Forward
Wealth Creation
These goals require funds and resources. India is the most populous country in the world with basic infrastructure which obviously needs improvement. It can create huge funds and resources provided there is confidence among the youth and its citizens that they are all working to make a very nice and livable
India. That is the power of faith and confidence which can provide the necessary impetus to generate all the necessary resources for progress without any need for external assistance.
Various countries of south-east Asia, China, Japan among others who had even poorer infrastructure than India in early 50s and 60s have created powerhouse of funds and resources by creating conditions where people feel they are working for better future for themselves and the country.
New Model for India
India can do even better following our own model of development based on ancient Indian philosophical thought. Naturally this requires a leadership of highest quality which will understand deeply the history, ethos and great traditions of Indian thought. And use that ethos to create patriotism so that all the citizens work for the common good. Naturally patriotism cannot survive on empty promises or jingoism. It has to be backed by real change on the ground and the perception that future is based on fairness and rule of law.
India throughout the ages has given to the world great philosophical thought of Yoga, Buddhism, Jainism, Sikhism, and Gandhi ji’s non-violence. All these were based on the universal brotherhood rooted in deep reverence for human freedom and spirit of inquiry. Our leadership should follow these ideas and not be bogged down by jingoism and religious commercialization.
There is a tendency among the Indian elite to copy the development model of China or USA. To my mind both these models are unsustainable in the long run because they are based on greed for resources and control of world order. These greedy models have created a huge chasm between rich and poor, and most people feel left out of the development process.
A possible model outlined in this essay (Spirituality + Technology = Happiness) may help in reducing greed, provide equitable distribution of resources and provide a new paradigm of development not only for India but for mankind.
Critical Mass
Great leadership is not created in vacuum. Quantity begets quality. We need another Gandhi to inspire the countrymen and give us freedom from prejudice, fear, petty-mindedness, divisions and religious jingoism. Yet we cannot wait forever for a new Gandhi.
We all have to do our part in solving our immediate problems by providing sustainable and holistic solutions to them. Also, each one of us can further help in this process by mentoring and inspiring the youngsters. Each one teaches ten should be our motto!
These small local solutions and inspirations (like rivulets) can join together to provide a critical mass (mighty river) for substantial change. Creation of such local solutions also has the ability to throw up leaders which may provide the critical mass for enlightened national leadership.
Sociodynamic models suggest that less than 5% of population working for a noble cause can provide a critical mass for a positive revolution to succeed. Around 18% of world’s population lives in India. The median age of this population is less than 30 years. If we can achieve the above goals India can become strong, prosperous and a beacon for the world and Vishwaguru in the real sense. India has the young population, and necessary ingredients provided an enlightened leadership can inspire the youngsters and show the way.
A recent article on a similar theme was published by People Matters. This was based on my participation in the HR conference in Delhi.
Image (c) istock.com
04-Oct-2025
More by : Dr. Anil Rajvanshi