Gains in Gender Gap Report

Gender parity or gender equality is not only a fundamental human right, but a necessary foundation for a peaceful, prosperous and sustainable society. It is heartening to note here that India’s overall ranking in attaining gender parity has seen an improvement in 2022, thanks to a number of women centric plans, programmes and policies being worked vigorously upon for last several years by the government at the Centre. Good thing is that such programmes promise a lot more for the years to come as their execution work is gradually getting on to the ground. More women are now serving in the positions of power, leadership and laws. More girls are going to school and there’s hardly any region now in the country where people force girls into doing early marriage with stringent laws in place. India, as a nation, has undergone a transformational change as today, women are getting equal opportunities as men in terms of education, profession, choices and pursuits. Government and administration have also started taking into due consideration the concerns related to women safety, hygiene and sanitation.

All these factors have contributed to the country jumping five places to 135 out of the 146 benchmarked this year. Last year India was ranked 140 out of 156 countries in the World Economic Forum’s (WEF) latest Gender Gap Report, which benchmarks the current state and evolution of gender parity across four key dimensions such as economic participation and opportunity, educational attainment, health and survival and political empowerment. On a 0 to 1 scale, where 1 represents the optimal situation or parity, India scored 0.629 on gender parity, which is its seventh-highest score in the past 16 years. In 2022, India’s overall score has improved from 0.625 in 2021 to 0.629. Of all the sub-indices, in terms of political empowerment of women, India was ranked the highest 48th out of 146.

India registers the most significant and positive change to its performance on economic participation and opportunity, however, the global gender gap score of India has oscillated between 0.593 and 0.683 since the first index. The WEF report also suggests that with a female population of approximately 66.2 crore, India’s achievements on these parameters weigh heavily on regional rankings. The report has also appreciated the increase in the share of women legislators, senior officials and managers in India from 14.6% to 17.6%. The share of women as professional and technical workers also grew in India from 29.2% to 32.9%. The gender parity score for estimated earned income has also grown in India. However, the educational attainment and health and survival sub-indexes have reported small developments. The economic participation and opportunity sub-index increased mainly because of the gains for women in professional and technical roles and a decrease in the wage gap.

Comparing with the top ranking countries, India still needs to improve a lot more especially in terms of economic participation and opportunities, educational attainment and health and survival among others to give its women folk a much more respectable position, that they deserve. This is very much achievable given the change that has come in last 7-8 years due to fair promotion of gender-equitable attitudes and practices among India’s children and youth. For the first time since availability of records, India has more females as compared to males. The number of females per 1,000 males increased from 991 in 2015-16 to 1,020 in 2019-21. The sex ratio at birth has also witnessed an increase from 919 in 2015-16 to 929 in 2019-21. Further, India’s Maternal Mortality Ratio (MMR) has dropped by 10 points. Also, the data shows a decline in the crime against women during the year 2020 (3,71,503) as compared to 2019(4,05,326). Today women are not only working in every wing of the Indian Army, but now they are also getting permanent commissions. The number of women officers has almost tripled in last 6 years.

Since, the Vedic times, women play a crucial role in the upliftment of society, and by paving way for more & more avenues for women, in not just defence but also in other sectors would lead to a ‘New India’ where men & women are making equal contribution in the overall development of the nation.

Crusader of Revolutionary Changes in Post Independence India

The death anniversary of Babu Jagjivan Ram demands a deep dive into life and times of the ‘Messiah of Dalits’, who truly symbolizes the dawn of an era of assertion, equality, empowerment and positive changes for the poor and downtrodden section of the society. Popularly known as Babuji, he was a crusader of social justice, a champion of the core issues confronting the depressed classes, an outstanding parliamentarian and a true democrat, who fought for social justice all through his life without bombastically claiming for all this.

On the event of him leaving Congress in Feb 1977 because of his failure to pursue Prime Minister to remove Emergency Measures, Outlook India wrote, “This dramatic gesture demoralised Mrs. Gandhi and boosted Opposition leaders, still recovering from 19 months in prison. It electrified the country into ousting the Congress from the throne of New Delhi for the first time since Independence.”

Right from the onset of his political career in 1936, Jagjivan Babu’s unflinching commitment to the developments of the country endeared him to all, paving way for a very long parliamentary and ministerial inning in successive governments spanning over half a century. He contributed immensely to the nation building process holding different portfolios at the Centre.

As India’s first Labour Minister, he brought in landmark changes in the labour laws like the Industrial Disputes Act, 1947, the Minimum Wages Act, 1948, the Indian Trade Union (Amendment) Act, 1960, the Payment of Bonus Act, 1965, the Employees State Insurance Act, 1948 and the Provident Fund Act, 1952.

As an agriculture minister he was one of the pioneers of the Green Revolution, which resulted in a great increase in production of food grains, taking the country on the path of self-sufficiency and tide over the serious food crisis prevailing during that period. He also organized the much talked about public distribution system (PDS) to ensure that the food is made available to the masses at a reasonable price.

Whereas it was under his bold and inspiring leadership as defence minister, that India trounced Pakistan in 1971 war, galvanizing the entire nation and the Armed Forces to deal with this mammoth crisis.

And as a Transport Minister, he nationalized the private airlines and laid down the foundation of civil aviation revolution in the country, which later resulted in the genesis of Air India and Indian Airlines.

Similarly, as a railway minister, he modernized the lifeline of the country and took innumerable welfare measures for its employees also.

When in communication ministry, he spread postal facilities to the remote villages of the country.

Jagjivan Ram was a towering political personality, a crusader of social justice, an exceptionally gifted orator and a true democrate, who holds a world record of being a parliamentarian uninterrupted for a record 50 years between 1936 and 1986, besides being a member of the Constituent Assembly, which framed the constitution.

Widely called as the ‘Messiah of Dalits’, Babu Jagjivan Ram was in fact a ‘Crusader of revolutionary changes’, who helped transform the country. He might have missed the race for the Prime Ministership on several occasions owing to several political and social reasons, however, with his vast understanding of Indian social and political dynamics and issues, he remained very relevant in Indian politics till his last. His social-political views still hold relevance, especially for the nagging issues which need to be addressed with utmost precision.

Sporting New Attitude towards Sports

India’s relatively better performance at the Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics showcased that sports in India is no longer dominated by Cricket alone. Seven medals in the Olympics and 19 in Paralympics demonstrate amply that there is a lot of potential for other sports in the nation. Government support and schemes like TOPS have ensured that the nation can achieve new heights. These successes seem to have ushered in new and big development in the Indian Games and sports Arena.

Playing any sport at the highest level becomes very expensive, requiring a sense of financial security to perform at the peak. Hence, youngsters from the middle class and the poor strata of the society, who constitute majority of the youth, were earlier found to be averse to sports as parents too often discouraged them from professionally pursuing sports. Hence, financial assistance is a major part of the sports promotion programmes, under which Rs. 6.28 lakh is allocated for each residential athlete training at the accredited academies as per the annual Khelo India scholarship scheme. It includes an out of the pocket allowance of Rs 1.20 lakh. The government is setting up 1,000 Khelo India centres, which will further give a big boost to sports.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has brought a crucial mindset change and introduced numerous policies that have allowed innumerable youngsters to fulfill their dream of pursuing sports as a career. In Tokyo Olympics, 2020, India won 7 Medals total, 1 Gold, 2 Silver and 4 Bronze medals, registering the best ever performance at the Olympics. In Paralympics too, India won a record 19 medals with 5 Gold, 8 Silver and 6 Bronze medals. The number of medals won in this edition of the Paralympics is higher than India’s medals in all previous editions put together. Further, at the recently concluded Thomas Cup, the Indian Men’s Badminton team defeated 14-time title holder Indonesia to lift the winning trophy. PM Modi’s heartwarming interaction with the champions of the sports person also enthuse them a lot, showing India’s sports profile rising consistently across different sports, which is not merely a coincidence.

For the TOPS programme (Target Olympic Podium Scheme) the government specifically aims to identify athletes with great potential and enable customised and high-quality training and facilities for them, so that their focus remains on excellence in the arena rather than on fighting to get facilities unlike earlier. Under the scheme, the government takes full responsibility for foreign training of athletes, which includes their lodging, nutrition, equipment and international competitions in foreign countries besides a monthly stipend of Rs. 50,000 for each athlete.

Khelo India programme has been a huge success when it comes to harnessing the untapped potential of scores of youth especially from the rural and semi-urban areas. The programme comprises a clutch of schemes that form an important initiative to encourage sportspersons right from the grassroots. It aims at infusing sports culture and achieving sporting excellence. The Khelo India programme includes playfield development, community coaching development, promotion of community sports, the establishment of a strong sports competition structure at both school and university levels and filling up critical gaps in sports infrastructure including the creation of hubs of sports excellence in universities.

As India pulls its socks by way of providing sports infrastructure at the grassroots level to help athletes to become professional, seeds are sown seeds of a bright sports future for the country. The post-COVID world, where health and fitness is getting prioritised above everything, sports and games too are set to achieve record highs and new pursuers across the globe like never before. A strong preparation and setting up world-class infrastructure to cater to future sports stars becomes all relevant in such times.

India has made extensive efforts in recent years to transform the creative energy of the youth in the country, which have also resulted in grabbing gold in international sports and a well noticeable shift in the career preference of the youth and priorities of the parents. Plans like Khelo India scheme, TOPS, assistance to National Sports Federations, special awards to winners in international sports events and their coaches, national sports awards, pension to meritorious sports persons, Pandit Deendayal Upadhyay National Sports Welfare Fund, National Sports Development Fund and running sports training centres through Sports Authority of India are fast changing the sports scenario.

Museum Visits for timeline of Human Evolution

It is a pleasure to present Indian Museums and cultural preservation focused edition of #PBNSdailyMagaize today. Ministry of culture has asked museums to remain open without any entry free for the week of May16-20. The celebrations in India are being done with the theme of ‘power of museums’, which is in sync with the theme of International Museum Day 2022 (18th May), ‘The Future of Museums: Recover and Imagine’. This theme is inspired by the changes the world has experienced in the last year and urging people to re-imagine the museums of the future, to respond to the issues we face in the present. It is interesting to note that DYPIU, Pune organised an online symposium on “The Prehistoric Narrative of Humans in the Indian Subcontinent”. Key themes highlight the need to have a fresh look at our history and heritage. A visit to museums seems to be a must do activity from various perspectives.

Cultural preservation too is being seen as an important aspect in New India. Recently, PM Modi has brought back 157 Indian antiquities back to the Indian soil from the US. ASI has retrieved as many as 36 antiquities from foreign countries over the last five years. 55 vigrahas have been returned to India, 42 of which, including that of Goddess Annapurna, have been acquired back in the last 7 years. Parallely, restoration work on heritage sites, historic sites & monuments, excavation processes, renovation initiatives, etc. are being taken up across the country on directions of various govt departments in order to preserve heritage and revive cultural remains.

Whatever we are today has a lot to do with our past and hence study of yesterday and today is leading to our future. Whether it is our biology, perspective or environment, everything present today has its roots in the past. Most of pre-history being studies in classes today are related to holocene period only, which is just the tip of the iceberg. South Asian cultural phases needs to be looked into time periods earlier than that into Mesolithic, Upper and Middle Paleolithic, Acheulian and even pre-acheulian period. What is the significance of studying deep past? Common human origins and complex stories of evolution leading to who we are today, carving out our behavioural and biological evolution.

Last decade has seen tremendous interest in the Cultural History of India. 2020-21 budget mentioned Rakhigarhi, Dholavira and Lothal. Before discovery of Harappan Civilzation some 100 years ago, history of South Asia had discontinuity which got filled with hypothetic scenarios like straight jump from stone age, or Aryan invasion or outsiders bringing culture to this land etc. Now many scholars are looking at multi-disciplinary and multi-institutional research with firm belief that small data available at this stage is providing only indication not conclusions. Archaeology, History, Art History, Architectural History, Heritage Science, Geo-archaeology, Geomorphology, Remote Sensing, GIS and Cultural Heritage Conservation and Management are some of the areas that tell stories of true evolution and studies of all these subjects are inter-linked so deeply that answer to one question in one area may emerge as key discovery or clue to solving many other mysteries and enigmas. Thus, research and undertakings here are worth spending resources and time on. Equally important is thinking of ways to preserve and protect such sites from perishing.

Further, Human origin, health and disease are rather closely nit than we imagine. India can be called an ethnic museum with over 4,635 anthropologically well defined population, including 532 tribes, 72 primitive tribes ( 36 still following hunters and gatherers lifestyle). A more detailed scientific study of our past promises discovery of population-specific disease associated genes in South Asia. Though, a genome from Harappan civilisation is from a population that is largest source of South Asians. The population has no detectable ancestry from Steppe pastoralists or from Anatolian and Iranian farmers, suggesting farming in South Asia arose from local foragers rather than from large-scale migration from the West.

Further, Archaeological investigations using remote sensing techniques show astonishing results in expanding our understanding of past. Landscape morphology and spatial patterning of archaeological signature when viewed from above gives a sense of evolution and effects of various natural and human causes. For example, the expanse of Nalanda site is much bigger than the current ASI property, perhaps 40-50 times surrounded by an encompassing canal or Agra having over 50 riverfront palaces, gardens and 2-tier city walling etc.

One who is proud of rich cultural heritage, always works hard to maintain the high level of civilisation and tries to enhance the living standard of fellow citizens. This is where the expand from Angkor Wat, Cambodia to Lebanon’s Baalbek temple needs to have a fresh look and last few years point to a good start of the process. Sea level fluctuations governed the destiny of Lothal, Dwarka, Dholavira, Ramsetu and other coastal towns on Ancient India.

Clearly, Global Warming is big existential challenge humanity is facing right now. Global Warming has clear consequences in terms of Accelerated rise in sea level, change in monsoon pattern, Increase in intensity and frequency of storms, Change in Fisheries pattern etc. Past records from oceanography and geological studies point huge fluctuations in sea level, and highlight the need to delineate natural and human induced changes. New thrust is there to enhance the understanding of past sea level changes through the study of microfossils with special reference to foraminifera in marine sediments of Indian Ocean and adjoining seas.

Roots & Fruits of India’s mathematics

‘Time’ measures the amount, quality and extent of evolution, but time itself cannot get measured without Mathematics. Unlike ‘Time’, which is a man-made concept to believe that nature indeed changes, ‘Mathematics’ is far natural and older. “Mathematics is the alphabet with which God has written the universe” Galileo Galilei had once said, perhaps because of just how subtly it fits in with human existence. So much so that in the 21st century, where technological way of life is reshaping the world faster than ever before, DATA becomes paramount, a cardinal asset, which is fundamentally, a super-advanced version of Mathematics. Current developments in the domains of Artificial Intelligence, Virtual Reality, Automation, super-computing, etc. are a proof of how Mathematics has evolved over ‘time’. It is only Mathematics that gives hope to mankind that even the hitherto science fiction concepts like teleportation and time travel may actually be possible someday.

In the 88th edition of his monthly radio program ‘Mann ki Baat’, PM Modi spoke in lengths on how significant Mathematics is and has always been for the country and how much has the Indian subcontinent been able to give to the World as far as logical research and conceptual inventions and fundamentals are concerned. “During ‘Pariksha Pe Charcha’, some students said that they are afraid of maths in the exam… Friends, Mathematics is such a subject about which we Indians should be most comfortable. After all, the people of India have given the most research and contribution to the whole world regarding mathematics,” shared PM Modi. He then went on to mention bits about India’s pioneership in introducing the number zero (recorded use recently discovered to be made as early as the 3rd or 4th century), the concept of infinity, binary number system, Vedic Maths, contribution of great mathematicians like Acharya Pingala, Aryabhatta, Ramanujan and ancient Indian sages.

The decimal system being employed worldwide was also first seen in India. Indian scriptures, largely ‘Vedas’ and other ancient manuscripts have acted as recorded proof of many such concepts and logical fundamentals. The ancient Indian subcontinent was leaping with mathematically enlightened culture that was flourishing at a time when Europe was still stuck in the dark ages. Apart from the perhaps greatest ever discovery of ‘Zero’, Indian mathematicians have made exceptional contributions to the study of trigonometry, algebra, arithmetic and negative numbers, etc. The key concept of Vedantic teachings, ‘Brahmn’, the one which pervades and manifests entire creation, is translated loosely in Arabic as Al-Zabr (The most powerful). The method of assuming its (Brahmn’s) existence to reaching a stage where it can be realised experientially, is developed as the fundamental method of working of algebra as we know it today. The world awaits to learn these and many more such fundamental developments from India of past and future.

Indian Heritage for World’s Future

India is a torch bearer for modern times, and given its rich heritage, ancient and modern history, it’s story is crucial for sustainable, peaceful and prosperous future of the planet. For context, France became part of EU more or less from an Empire status, and USA, though an old state, became true democracy only around 60 years back. As Indian democracy is celebrating ‘azaadi ka amrit mahotsav’, every citizen needs to do something towards preserving, protecting and upholding democratic values. First and foremost of these is to be self-confident, willing to put in honest and hard work needed to produce success and grandeur, as have been amply demonstrated time and again in this land – this is where heritage sites, monuments and museums play a key role. India’s material culture produced over the years, has also captivated the world like anything. Indian Monuments attract the people in millions from world over. India has more UNESCO World Heritage sites than majority of the countries.

On this World Heritage Day, as the world celebrates its efforts to salvage the rich cultural heritage, India also takes pride for its efforts on the front. India has 10 more of its sites added to UNESCO’s World Heritage Sites list since 2014, taking the total to 40. Considering that 49 more sites are on India’s World Heritage Tentative list, India’s heritage monuments will be a game changer in the tourism sector.

Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) has created an online portal for Indian Heritage Sites/Monuments with an e-ticketing facility & a “Must See” List that features outstanding monuments. On the other hand, initiatives like ‘Adopt a Hertitage’ Scheme aim to enhance tourism experience of travellers. The scheme allows Public or Private sector companies to become ‘Monument Mitras’ after putting forth a proposal for adopting sites. As of now, 24 MoUs have been signed with Ministry of Tourism, ASI and Monument Mitras for active collaboration in upgrading and developing amenities at tourist heritage sites.

The government has also built many monuments of national importance to give our young generation a richer sense of Indian history. “Today, the development of tourist centres is not just a part of the government scheme, but a campaign of public participation. The development of our cultural heritage is a great example,” said PM Modi during the inauguration of the new Circuit House near Somnath Temple, Gujarat. This initiative of building new monuments of national Importance across the country has set new avenues for Indian heritage and its popularity across the globe. The government built the National War Memorial in New Delhi, the Statue of Unity in Gujarat, APJ Abdul Kalam memorial in Rameshwaram, etc. Similarly, the places associated with Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose and Shyamji Krishna Varma have been given grandeur. Adivasi museums are also being built across the country to bring forth the glorious history of Indian tribal society.

India, one of the world’s oldest civilizations, is an all-embracing confluence of religions, traditions and customs. A walk through any of the Indian heritage site fills one with ancient exuberance infused with stories of great rulers, spiritual leaders, artists, and all other beings that once walked the Indian soils. The finesse of Indian handicraft, the ethnicity of jewellery here, its silk and cotton textiles, even sweets and classical instruments, everything has come down as a heritage from ancient times and is being kept alive generation after generation. All said, Indian heritage is such a treasure and so subtle that it not only encompasses art, music, flora & fauna, print,designs and classical dances,but also its architectural advancement and intelligent engineering.

Sports saplings meeting The Champions

Imagine the joy a child will have, when he or she meets Neeraj Chopra, Bajrang Punia, Ravi Dahiya, Sharad Kumar, Devendra Jhajharia, Yogesh Kathuniya and several others, who have brought laurels to the nation! This far-flung dream of millions of school-going children is turning into reality through the ‘Meet The Champion’ Programme. PM Modi’s unique school visit campaign ahead, ‘Meet the champion Programme’ aims to prepare and connect the young school students with the champions.

“Early catch and proper nurture, makes a medals winning culture” could be the adage adopted by India as it has started to make its mark felt in international competitions across various games and sports. During the meeting with Tokyo Olympic heroes at his residence on 16 August, PM Modi asked the athletes to visit 75 schools to meet and inspire students. The Ministry of education and Sports Authority of India are working together to run this mega plan as a ‘Meet the Champions’ programme over the next two years. The aim is to acknowledge and ready the young ones with champion qualities to face the world in any sphere of life.

The athletes are talking about the importance of santulit aahar (balanced diet), fitness and sports at a young age. These visits by Olympians will give school students an insight into their lives and what drives them to excel in their fields and explore. Olympic Gold medallist Neeraj Chopra started off with students from over 75 schools at Sanskardham, Ahmedabad, where he also shared interesting anecdotes about his career with the students. Similarly, Tokyo Olympics Bronze Medallist Bajrang Punia visited Haryana’s Aarohi Model School in Panipat, Paralympic Gold and Silver medallist Mariyappan Thangavelu visited Salem’s Holy Angles Girls’ Matric. Hr. Sec. School, Paralympics bronze medallist Sharad Kumar met students at Cotton Hill Government Girls Higher Secondary School in Trivandrum, Kerala, and so on.

These visits bolster the effort towards nurturing young athletes at school level itself. To support sports saplings – 90 Extension Centres of STC (Sports Authority of India Training Centre), including 60 Khelo India Centres, and 10 Regular Schools which are part of the National Sports Talent Contest (NSTC), are operational under Sports Authority of India. Most of the Extension Centres are operational in schools across the country. Further, under the “State Level Khelo India Centre” vertical of the Khelo India scheme, 04 Kendriya Vidyalayas with residential facilities are operational as Sports Schools since October 2019. Under this vertical ₹1,50,000 per athlete per annum are provided towards expenses of onboarding, lodging, education, training, competition exposure, medical by the Government of India.

In the past few decades, the country has seen exponential growth in sports. As it has pulled its socks by way of providing sports infrastructure at the grassroots level to helping athletes to become professional, results have started to show by providing the world with a glimpse of the multisports nation. ‘Meet The Champion’ Programme is surely adding fuel to this fire in the belly of young ones and setting up a virtuous cycle.

Role of Holi for GenAlpha

The pandemic has accelerated the rise of robotics, digitalisation and the onset of the Fifth Industrial Revolution, where humans and machines will dance together, metaphorically. GenAlpha is already beginning to lead a life complemented by artificial intelligence and in a world of immersive experiences of augmented and virtual reality. Today, across the country, these kids are asking the question, why should we go out and celebrate this festival of colours, smells and flavours?

Few years back, University of Sydney (Department of Theatre and Performance Studies) had carried out a research which showed that actors experience significantly higher levels of depression,anxiety and stress than general population, and both men and women actors use alcohol at levels well above WHO guidelines for healthy consumption and 80 percent of actors are active users of either legal or illicit drugs. It had found that around 40 percent of actors had difficulties in relaxing or ‘letting go’ after performing an emotionally and physically demanding role.

The adjective ‘virtual’ means ‘being almost or nearly something’ or ‘made to appear to exist by computer’. Similarly, dictionary meaning of ‘artificial’ is ‘not genuine or natural but made by people’ or ‘not what it appears to be’. The immersive experiences of the world of virtual reality is not very different to performing an emotionally and physically demanding role. Therefore, getting out of role of ‘virtual reality’ and immersing into ‘real reality’ is essential for these kids. Holi is perhaps the best occasion for this reality check.

Holi is one of the most joyous and invigorating festivals of the country. Marking the beginning of Spring, it celebrates life and all of its colours in unanimity and reflects the very essence of this season. It is undeniable that the vibrancy of colors brings in joy and a lot of positivity in our life. Holi also has its historic, spiritual, religious, social and psychological sides, which make it much more exciting, giving us the reason to heartily enjoy and cherish the occasion.

This festival of sumptuous food, exotic aroma, and humorous pouring and throwing of colours has a healing effect on all of us. Letting GenAlpha immerse into ‘real reality’ is new positioning of this ancient tradition, Holi.

Superpowering through Care, Culture and Heritage

For human civilisation, what could lie beyond the currently unfolding 5th Industrial Revolution? Culture, and economics of Culture, are surely going to be at the core of these discussions. As India is rapidly evolving its innovation, adaptation and large scale implementation capabilities, it surely is in the spotlight as a potential steward and guide to the rest of the world due to its rich cultural heritage. India’s soft power comes out of its moral, ethical and cultural values.

It was India’s moral authority that inspired it to give shelter to Tibetan spiritual leader Dalai Lama in 1959. India’s principled boycott of South Africa for its racist Apartheid policies, which Gandhi had started in late 19th century, won it respect from post-colonial states across Africa and rest of the world. In 1971, when India, despite overwhelming opposition from America and the UN, intervened in East Pakistan, which resulted in the formation of the independent state of Bangladesh, this urge came out of its moral and spiritual authority only, which it espoused and nurtured for thousands of years.

Observance of International Day of Yoga is the latest feather in India’s hat, thanks to the persistent efforts of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government at the Centre. This celebration has not only boosted Yoga’s popularity over the years, but also expanded its geographical presence by inspiring its adoption across the length and breadth of the world. Last week, Argentinian federal police decided to effectively use the techniques of Yoga for stress management of its personnel. Yoga is truly considered to be India’s greatest modern gift to the world. The Ministry of Ayush has also been striding forth to establish yoga’s curative and calming impacts and trying to integrate it with diverse disciplines in order to promote psycho-physiological well-being of the people across the globe.

When Natalie Di Luccio, an Italian-Canadian classical-crossover singer from Toronto sings Bollywood hit songs- ‘Jaane Tu Ya Jaane Na’ and ‘Pehla Nasha’, Luo Ping- a Chinese TV reality show Super Idol 13’s contestant sings ‘Tujh main rab dikhta hai’, a US school chorus decides to sing a superhit Tamil song ‘Balleilakka Balleilakka’ from the hit movie ‘Sivaji’ at a yearly event, Ary- a Canadian girl sings ‘Kolaveri’ sung by Tamil superstar Dhanush, a Turkish boy sings the famous ‘Awara Hoon’ song from Raj Kapoor’s movie in a reality show and when Dubai appoints Shahrukh Khan as its ambassador — they are not just an aberration or eccentricity, but adequately exemplify how India’s ever rising soft power, amply bolstered by rich and age old moral, spiritual and cultural value system, is being embraced all across the globe.

Much before Yoga, Ayurveda, Bollywood and others became a craze almost across the globe, Indian spirituality had reached several countries. Buddhism spread in various countries like Sri Lanka, Thailand, Myanmar, China, Japan, Thailand, Mongolia and other Southeast Asian and Central Asian countries more than two thousand years earlier. India’s universities continue to attract even today a large number of students from especially developing countries. Indian food is also equally popular around the world. India has an excellent track record of leveraging its culture, spiritual, educational, political values and distinct foreign policy for national objectives while taking care of the entire world with the ethos of ‘Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam’.

Leading the Democratic Way

Indian democracy is a torch bearer for modern times, and given its rich heritage, ancient and modern history, it’s story is crucial for sustainable, peaceful and prosperous future of the planet. For context, France became a part of EU more or less from an Empire status, and USA, though an old state, became true democracy only around 60 years back.

The most awaited electoral moment of this year is finally out in the open with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) all set to form its government in three, and AAP snatching Punjab from the Congress. As per the available trends, the BJP is also holding advantage in Goa. The assembly elections in these states- Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Punjab, Manipur and Goa have once again amply exhibited why India is considered as the largest and most respected democracy of the world, where federal structures, democratic values and political-electoral choices and differences are always honoured.

While, in Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand, the BJP has made a thumping victory, AAP- a political outfit not even a decade old, is all set to sweep in Punjab, its first full state to rule. Even relatively smaller states like Manipur and Goa appear to head for a clear majority so that the people of these states also relish the fruits of a stable government. Clearly, our democracy is consistently evolving and maturing with the passage of time.

The burgeoning entry and interest of women in Indian political system, coming from all sections of the society irrespective of caste, class and religion, further strengthens democratic system. The way women have voted in states like Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand and others, show they prefer peace, security, education and developments over limits and prejudices thrown upon them by some fringe forces.

As Indian democracy is celebrating ‘azaadi ka amrit mahotsav’, every citizen needs to do something towards preserving, protecting and upholding democratic values. First and foremost of them is to differentiate between ‘what is entertainment’ and ‘what is reality’. Breaking political news into byte sized packages has made it an object of entertainment rather than information for views and opinions, on the other hand sports seem to have been presented as content of strong views and opinions rather than entertainment. Self proclaimed political pundits need to engage in their trade with this basic understanding to avoid repeated failure of not judging the mood of voters correctly.