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With minimum fuss,  noise and bragging China informed the world that it is now the world's 2nd  largest economy. Now imagine if India became the world's 3th largest economy  what would happen.

The politicians,  media and Indians would fall over each other in congratulating themselves for  India's performance. There would be full page advertisements in all national  and regional dailies. TV channels would debate on prime time for days on end i.e.  till the next big story broke out.

Sonia Gandhi would  repeat her mother-in-law's slogan of the 1970's Garibi Hatao and pass one more law  saying 'Housing and Food to all is a fundamental right'.

Manmohan Singh  would smile meaning India has attained this status because of His economic  policies supported by telecom minister Raja and Suresh Kalmadi of Commonwealth  Games fame.

Like his  grandmother Rahul Gandhi would say corruption is a worldwide phenomenon. Respected  Pranabda would head a Group of Ministers to investigate how India became the 3rd  largest economy without fiscal stimulus.

Somewhere in the  skies, the architect of India's economic reforms former PM Rao would wonder why  everyone had forgotten him.

Atalji would write  a poem on India. Advaniji and Jaswant Singh would together author a book on  Jinnah. The BJP would say we scripted India’s progress, were the pioneers of  PSU Disinvestment and the first to urge Indian corporates to buy foreign  companies; the Tatas took our advice seriously.

Dalit ki beti  Mayawati would boast that India could never have progressed but for the writing  of the Indian Constitution by India’s Dalit ka beta Dr Ambedkar. Further it was  due to the blessings of the recently made statutes in Uttar Pradesh that India  progressed.

NCP Chief and Lalit  Modi would attribute India’s rise to cricket / IPL.

The Congress and  Leftist state governments of Assam and West Bengal would take credit for some  of India’s architectural marvels like the Konkan Railways because these were  built by Bangaldeshis. After all, if they had not turned a blind eye to illegal  infiltration how would crores of Bangladeshis have become Indian citizens  today? 

The Leftists would term  India’s progress as hogwash by saying so many Indians are poor and hungry. Mamta  didi would say that India will outperform others if she became Chief Minister.
  Aging Karunanidhi  hoped that the becoming of Tamil as India’s national language would take the  Indian to the next level but alas! Balasaheb Thackeray would proudly say that India  progressed despite of the demolition of the Babri Masjid.

Narendra Modi would  add that India was only following the footsteps of Gujarat and Gujaratis.

The Maoists ambush  security forces regularly - nothing has changed!

The surge in growth  rates makes the Ambani and Thackeray brothers realize the importance of unity.  The Petroleum ministry is relieved but the Congress-NCP leadership is worried!

When India grew at  under 5% the nationalist squirmed since it was called the Hindu rate of growth.  Not any longer.

Now let us look around  the world.

The British  strategists are stunned! They ask themselves, we partitioned India, divided her  into Aryan and Dravidian and by caste/religion yet how did she progress? The  Pakistani Generals wonder that we Indians kis mitti ke bane hai? Inspite of  relentless export of Jihad these Kafirs show no signs of giving in.

The average  Pakistani will quote Dr Ambedkar’s 1941 book (click here to read.)  to argue that before Independence Hindusthan contributed app 75% of undivided  India’s revenues and subsidized the predominantly Muslim Indian Army. Since  India’s growth rates have leapfrogged can she subsidize the Pakistani Army  again? We are after all the same people!

The U.S. says - you  still need our help to deal with the rogue state of Pakistan. The Chinese dismiss  India’s progress. Strategic encircling of India is to keep their foreign policy  team occupied! The French say buy our nuclear power plant with no cap on  liability. The Germans rediscover the India Aryan connection.

The British  Chancellor pleads with Indian CEO's to buy out more factories in U.K. Visits to  Bombay House, Chennai and Bengaluru become more frequent! He promises to return  all Indian artifacts lying in the British Museum London (To see pictures http://www.esamskriti.com/around-world/British-Museum-London.aspx)  provided Indian co’s create 5 lakh jobs in his country.

Countries of South  East Asia want to revive India's century old relations and form a separate  economic block with India. The Thais release a CD Hindu symbols in Thailand (click here to read.),  the Cambodians tell us that the biggest temple complex is in their country (click here to read),  the Indonesians refer to 2000 year old links (click here to read)  and the Malaysians invite us to their Diwali celebrations (click here to read).  But there is a problem! Capitalizing on these relations means openly acknowledging  India’s Hinduness.

The pseudo  secularists are up in arms. A PIL is filed in the Supreme Court. What follows  is a furor in the Lok Sabha with the BJP and Congress daggers drawn. The day  ends with a three hour debate on prime time TV. Sri Sri Ravi Shankar amongst  other tries explaining the concept of Sanatan Dharam to Constitutional Experts  but how can a country ie based on the Westminster model understand the concept  of Dharma?

Yet for some  nothing changed. The Pakis continue to export Terror to India because the day  they decide to love us they will cease to exist as a separate nation. The World  Bank continues to lend to India, foreign postings required! Missionaries  continue to pour crores of rupees into India (click here to read.)  and convert poor Indians in the name of social service. Media reports indicate  that Dawood Ibrahim Kaskar rediscovers his Maharashtrian roots but can any  Indian Government grant him amnesty?

At the end of all  this I wondered whether Indians were better off not being the world’s third largest  economy! How does this affect aam aadmi?

1. Residents of Jammu and Ladakh like to know when will  stop being treated as second class citizens in a state i.e. dominated by  Kashmiris.  
2. In Srinagar a stone throwing youth asks when  will one of India’s richest Muslims Aziz Premji open a development centre there  so they can write codes instead.
3. The Buddhist monk of Tawang is still waiting for  PM Singh to visit them, upsetting the Chinese!
4. The housewife in Madurai wants to know when the  price of Tuar Dal would be Rs 40/per kg so she can liberally serve sambar to  the family.
5. India’s farmers plead – do not take away my family  jewel to set up a nuclear plant.
6. Gujaratis worldwide like to know if the media can  love all Chief Ministers as much they love Modi.

The thoughts  expressed above a slice of satire. If I have offended any individual or group  my sincere apologies in advance since that was never my intent.

On a serious note, some  Indians are eager to declare India as the next superpower. We must learn from  the Chinese who have underplayed their becoming the world’s second largest  economy.

A nation i.e.  confident of its abilities need not shout from the roof top to say 'We are the  next Superpower' and behave like a man who brags about his competence. Vallabhbhai  Patel did not give himself the titles 'Sardar' or 'Iron Man of India'. The  people he worked with did. The title is a reflection of his contribution to India  and tough decisions that defined India’s borders.   

We must work  quietly with the firm belief that you reap what you sow.  India's time has started yet she has a long  way to go. She must stop looking up to the world for appreciation or approval.  The day India has truly arrived the World will speak to us differently. The  humble and aware will sense the difference.

We must reach out  to the world without letting our guard down. A strong nation is one that has  the ability and will to fight but chooses to restrain itself till provoked.

We need to be  patient, increase agricultural productivity, allow Indians to realize potential,  acquire more companies abroad, share our wealth with the needy, derive strength  from India’s past and remember these words of Sri Aurobindo: “Our first  necessity, if India is to survive and do her appointed work in the world, is  that the youth of India should learn to think, - to think on all subjects, to  think independently, fruitfully, going to the heart of things, not stopped by  their surface, free of prejudgments, shearing sophism and prejudice asunder as  with a sharp sword, smiting down obscurantism of all kinds as with the mace of  Bhima…”. (India’s Rebirth).

The author is founder www.esamskriti.com

First appeared in www.rediff.com