What is the similarity between Greece and India? Both these countries have a rich ancient cultural heritage. Indians are proud of the fact that first remains of the most ancient civilization the Indus valley were found in the Indian soil. Aryabhatta the great Indian mathematician is credited with the discovery of zero and the studies of Hindu religious text books called Vedas reveal a plethora of knowledge about the medical sciences reflecting the progressive mindset of the Indians even in the 3rd century BC.
It was the richness in culture, precious metals and God’s gift of abundant nature which attracted the British towards India. But the great freedom fighters like Mahatma Gandhi fought the heroic battle using the principal of honesty and non-violence finally making India free in 1948. Never in the world could there be another example of such bravery and courage. And yet India has always been striving to reach excellence in all the fields post independence. As India completes 61 years of its independence let’s see how gracefully India has aged and matured.
Efficacious Indian Economics
India has a socialistic economy with the government exercising lots of powers over the private corporations, foreign trade and also on foreign direct investments. But with India electing a dynamic leader in form of Rajeev Gandhi as its prime minister in the early nineties there have been a number of economic reforms. Some of the most popular being reduction in government interference in Foreign Investments and Foreign trades, which provided an opportunity to lots of international firms to set up their base in India. India is attributed as one of the fastest growing economies in the world with an annual GDP rate at 5.7% since the last couple of decades which speaks volumes about the stable economic health of the country.
India earned a revenue of about 140 billion US dollars by chiefly exporting textiles, precious and semi-precious jewelry, software services and also engineering goods. Because of the presence of English speaking, highly-trained professionals India has become a leading destination of medical tourism and outsourcing by many multinational organizations for handling their offshore operations.
Colorful Culture
Indian culture is a fusion of many different traditions and customs. Though still able to maintain the richness of its ancient heritage Indian culture has amalgamated the goodness of different dynasties, be it the Mughals or the British who had ruled India at certain points of time.
Indians embodies the affluence of all its regions in the form of different folk dances like the Bhangra from Punjab to the Garba from Gujarat and Bihu from Assam. South Indian classical dance forms like Bharatnatyam and Kathekalli has gained worldwide popularity. The influence of different regions can also be seen in the famous Indian cuisine. While the Punjabi Butter Chicken has even found ardent admirers in former US president Bill Clinton, the delicacies from other regions like the sweets of West Bengal or the aromatic South Indian fare for the calorie conscious have found many takers. Indian spices and herbs are also famous the world over.
Another important aspect of the rich Indian culture is the Indian film industry. From costume dramas to musicals, from period films to movies on contemporary topics, India has the world’s largest film industry. A rough estimate suggests the making of over 1000 films across India every year. What is the unique selling proposition of an Indian film? It’s the song and dance sequences which are able to pull a large number of viewers when being staged in US or else where around the world.
Indian Fashion designers like Ritu Beri, Tarun Teheliani, Niharika, Ritu Kumar have taken the fashion world by storm, introducing rich fabrics and embroidery using precious stones and sequins. Lots of famous Hollywood celebrities like Liz Hurley and recently Victoria Beckham have been seen sporting the famous Indian dress Sari. Glam yet conventional is how we can describe the modern fashion trends in India
Ambitious Indian Youth
Smart, computer savvy, assertive, with a will to win is how an Indian Youth can be described. Indian Youth forms 41% of the total Indian population making it a definite win-win situation for India. Today Indian youth are scaling new heights whether it is in the field of sports, music, fashion, technology or software. Gone are the days when the young were subdued, confused, and unaware of the road which they have to take. Today Indian youth is more pragmatic, making plans of studying abroad or starting a software firm at the age of 18 like the founder of the first free email Sabeer Bhatia. Bobby Jindal, one of the youngest representatives in the US is also an Indian native, reflecting the strength and the go getting attitude of the youngsters.
Effective Education
There is an increasing awareness and general awakening about the importance of education in India. Gone are the days where the scholars used to reside in gurukuls or the abodes of the gurus and lead a tough life in order to understand and get the grasp of the world. Now India can boast of world class education centers in the form of 7 Indian Insititues of technologies and 6 Indian Institutes of managements which can boast of excellent overseas placement records. Recent surveys showed that more than 40% companies in Silicon Valley are being headed by India born CEOs. In order to promote literacy among the children from the weaker section, the Indian government has now made education free and compulsory for all kids up to the age of 14 years and also offers the students free midday meals. These moves by the Indian government are assured to bring a lot of sunshine in the lives of the underprivileged.
Perky Politics
Indian politics is marked by zeal and also drama. Being one of the largest and most populated democracy in the world there are a total of more then 200 political parties in India. Indian government has maintained a cordial relationship with all the countries post independence and has also been a front runner in advocating freedom of European colonies in other parts of the world, especially Africa. India is also an ardent supporter of UN peace keeping activities with almost 55,000 Indian army officers having served in more then 35 peace keeping missions. Indian presence has also made its impact in WTO, SAARC and ASEAN summits.
Though India had spent only one-third the time (as compared to US) as a free nation, still modern India can boast of a strong economy, rich and varied culture, dynamic leaders and eminent thinkers reflecting the maturity of Aging India.
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