Opinion: India’s Vision for Global Prosperity
India always believed that only global prosperity can be permanent and sustainable. Today apart from economic development, some people have also started talking about global peace and leadership in 21st century. They have realised that in the present violent age there can be no permanent global prosperity without peace and also no peace without spirituality. India has always followed this truth. That is why India has been one of the most wealthy and prosperous nations in the world.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s mind always vibrates with positive ideas and in one year he has engaged with over 100 countries adding new dimension to India’s ancient mission of peace, prosperity and partnership. Modi government’s foreign policy is said to be inspired by Panchamrit (five nectars)—Samman (dignity), Samvad (mutual dialogue), Samriddhi (shared prosperity), Suraksha (security) and Sanskriti (cultural evolution). These five themes have become the pillars of India’s foreign policy.
India’s vision for global prosperity—Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam—has been the hall mark of Indian thought since millenniums. This thought is the greatest spiritual gift to the mankind, and it has influenced many great thinkers of the world. But today’s concept of globalisation aims at exploitation of the weak nations, which India has never endorsed. We believe that a global leader has to be a friend of the world like Buddha, Mahavira, Gandhi and others, and not ruthless dictators like Hitler, Stalin and Mao. In this context, global leadership is natural to India where highest respect is paid to spiritual masters, who worked selflessly for the emancipation of mankind. Said Shri Aurobindo – ‘’Hinduism has been perfected by countless rishis to uplift humanity. It is for the world and not for themselves that Indians are rising.’’
Excess of everything is bad. Unfortunately, due to over indulgence in Vishvabandhutva we lost our vigilance and then even our freedom. After Independence India has come out of its hibernation and is heading for its destined role of global glory. Gandhiji has also played a key role in India’s global leadership as 112 countries have drawn inspiration from him in achieving independence without violence. President Obama during his visit to India also said, ‘’The spirit of Gandhi is very much alive in India today and is a great gift to the world.’’ What Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi achieved in America, China, South Korea and other countries is the expression of the soul of India, erupting at intervals since ages. In a materialist country like America it requires great conviction to speak about Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam, Gita and yoga.
After becoming Prime Minister Modi spoke his idea of India as Sarvadharma sambhav, Atmavat servabhuteshu, Sarve bhavantu sukhinah—equal respect to all religions, let everybody be happy in the world and then other such noble dictums. Is there any Prime Minister of any country in the world who has spoken with conviction on such a spiritual subject, “because it is India which is deluging the earth again and again with the pure and perennial waters of spiritual truth,’’ said Vivekananda. Modi always talks about democracy, and what is true democracy for India, but for the law of dharma. Dharma is the basis of democracy which Asia must recognise, for in this lies the distinction between the soul of the east and the soul of west, and here India holds the key to world’s future, as it believes in the philosophy of ‘live and let live’. It’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi who is extending his hand of friendship even to Pakistan and China as according to Vedic dictum he “wants to see the whole world with friendly eyes’’ and desires that all nuclear bombs of the world should be destroyed, but he is prepared for all eventualities for safety and security of India. Hence, it is the moral right of India to get permanent seat in United Nations Security Council, as asserted by Shri Modi in France.
Indians settling in America have peacefully progressed there in all fields of life and President Obama had to say, “I want more and more Indians to settle in America and help in its progress’’. President Obama in his parting speech in India and then again in America strongly advised India to practice religious tolerance. But according to Dalai Lama, history of India is the history of religious tolerance. Hence, world famous historian Arnold Toynbee said, “In this dangerous atomic age only the philosophy of Ramakrishna, Ashoka and Gandhi can save the mankind from destruction’’. And this is India’s vision for global leadership, which the world should support to achieve permanent global prosperity and harmony.
Anandshankar Pandya
(The writer is senior columnist)
