The ongoing Maharashtra saga of November 2019 is the latest evidence of  everything that is not right about India. Click here for more insights into the mess. (Click here to know more about NRI-Natter.)

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Where is the “world’s largest democracy” headed? It’s time for us, ordinary citizens of India, to Natter about such profound questions.

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Why Natter? Because addiction to social media, slanted or loaded discourse of mainstream media, slanging matches on broadcasters’ panel discussions, blind faith in populist policies and unhealthy belief in rhetoric (slogans, ideologies and make-believe of poll promises or manifestos) are not going to make India great again.

Take a reality check here and now. Do you think the following facts are signs of impending greatness? Or, are they ominous signals of imminent disaster?

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• Moody's and SBI are among the leading economic research houses that recently cut India GDP forecasts

• In the digitalized, globalized, 21st-century world, the collective consciousness of the world’s largest democracy – "sovereign, socialist, secular, democratic republic" – is obsessed and saturated with debates on the temple-mosque matter, Article 370, elections won by tampering with electronic voting machines

• National capital New Delhi and its surrounding areas choke with dangerous levels of smoke and smog every year, and solution remains elusive as ever.

• Down South, Chennai experiences a water crisis and flooding

• Next-door Kerala engages the country’s Supreme Court with issues like whether or not women should be allowed into a temple when it is yet to figure a solution to shameful problems like century-old houses collapsing in heavy rain

• Journalists, activists, intellectuals come under digital surveillance (WhatsApp is hacked)

• Meanwhile, people are dumbed down with zombifying addictions like cricket, film gossip, social media, crass consumerism via e-commerce, digital content on mobile apps, reality TV, feel-good-but-inconsequential talent shows (singing, dancing, standup comedy, trivia), and shouting-and-screaming competitions in the form of live TV panel discussions

• Stressed assets in the corporate sector, and bad loans of banks, snowball

• Infrastructure remains pathetic

• Healthcare services are Third Worldish

• Corruption remains endemic

• Business confidence index is not bright

• Ease of doing business -- 63rd rank!

• Political gimmicks, populist policies and scandals galore (as usual, of course) …

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This list is endless, but you get the drift.
 

Can India ever become great again?

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Yes, only if citizens such as yourself step outside of their comfort zone and reimagine their role in community-building, rather than continuing to dumbly delegate or outsource 'big' tasks like nation-building, development, etc, to a system that has repeatedly proven to be ineffective.

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India can become great again only if citizens:

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• stop being indifferent and apathetic toward the Big Picture

• overcome the play-it-safe herd mentality

• neutralize selfishness with selflessness (enough of consumerism and "good life" of indulgences, pleasures, comforts)

• cast aside risk-aversion

• transcend ego as well as ignorance and non-cooperative streak (let's learn to cooperate and collaborate)

• desist from confusing facile criticism and trolling with responsible citizenship

• resist the temptation to rely excessively on governments, institutions, industry for solutions to all problems

The so-called “system” (institutions, politicians, bureaucracy, political parties … ) isn’t alone to blame for the mess that India finds itself in these days. The masses – the middle- and lower-income people (voters, taxpayers, consumers, employees, workers, and so forth) -- are equally to blame.

 

So, dear Indian:

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• Are you willing to do your bit to make India great again?

• Are you ready to step out of your comfort zone?

• Are you willing to examine the perception of risk in playing the role of an active, conscientious, proactive, community-conscious citizen?

• Are you willing to quickly evolve into a global citizen with cosmopolitan outlook, so as to provide leadership to even the rest of the world?

• Are you game to being selfless as the Mahatma and ‘selfish’ as Munnabhai?

• Are you brave and bold enough to actualize your full potential, become wealthy, feel fulfilled and blessed, so as to help uplift those at the lower levels of society?

• Are you itching to see India grow and evolve into a global superpower that will make the world and the planet a better place?
   

If yes, get in touch, and we’ll be happy to get you involved.