By: Vivek Kumar Singh
Course Coordinator
Essay Programme
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The following poem by the great Indian poet Rabindranath Tagore adumbrates my vision of a prosperous INDIA .

• Where the mind is without fear and the head is held high.
• Where the knowledge is free
• Where the world has not been broken up into fragments
• By narrow domestic walls
• Where the words come out from the depth of truth
• Where the tireless striving stretches its arms towards the perfection
• Where the clear stream of reason has not lost its way
• Into the dreary desert sand of dead habit
• Where the mind is led forward by Thee
• Into ever-widening thought and action
• Into that heaven of freedom, my Father, let my country

India: once upon a time mockingly and on occasions disrespectfully referred to as “The Land of the Snake charmers, Elephants and Beggars”, “The Land of a Million Gods” etc., with the advent of time has undergone a stark metamorphosis & is now being referred to using flattering epithets such as “The Silicon Valley of the East”, “The Cradle of the IT industry” & “The World’s Outsourcing Hub”; clearly signaling India’s arrival on the ‘big’ stage in a ‘big’ way. As understanding of the historical traditions is very important in order to form a concrete futuristic vision of nation like India. India has a long history and as it is understood presently, it has covered a span of five thousand years since the period of its first known civilization. In a bid to provide my vision for and of India in the 21st century, I put forward my perception, views and opinions under different topics

In economic field, I hope India will make great progress. Agriculture will make a rapid advance, generating enough surplus and providing food for everyone. Certainly the industrial development will have a balanced look providing work for everyone and at the same time bringing prosperity and sustained development for our natural resources. And there will be no more rise of population.

Often our political leaders lack 'political will' and work in a petty and partisan manner. Still I am hopeful, by that time democracy will be strengthened in India and it will give rise to true statesmen who will further take ahead my vision of India and each aspect of the Directive Principles of our Constitution will be fulfilled.

The most important part of the human resource development is meaningful education for all. I hope by that time India will develop an advanced and relevant education system taking care of the needs of all the aspects of the society. I am sure India by that time will be able to take care of the health needs of all its citizen and Right to Education will achieve its target.

Elections till be peaceful and every citizen will exercise his/her franchise fearlessly. By that time no politician or political part will be allowed to exploit caste, region, language or ethnicity for their political gain. Every individual as an electorate will have the right to dismiss the representative from the state assembly, local governing bodies and parliaments at the half way mark of the term of office, if found and proved guilty of malpractice. However, in such issues the majority of the opinion of aggrieved individuals will have the valid decree to decide the above dismissal.Individuals will have the right to nominate a person of extraordinary abilities in the legislature, even if the said Individual does not contest the elections. Individuals will have the right to exercise the vote through the mail, telephone and other media e.g. e-mail etc. also. Electorate will have the right of information from Government, legislatures, except for top secret information. The top-secret information will be de-classified after pre-determined period unless and otherwise expressly re-classified.

Terrorism and insurgency perpetrated by both internal and external elements has reduced to a great deal, courtesy the sterling work carried out by an able, transparent and corruption-free Government of India. India is now a military superpower, boasting of a highly skilled, motivated armed force.Her military prowess becomes unmatched, with countries such as the USA, Russia and Israel requesting India to aid them design complex defense systems etc. Consequently, terrorism has almost been obliterated as these nations have finally seen sense. Peace thus, became their only way out of poverty.

In some of the areas like software technology, genetic engineering and space, although India has made rapid advances, we still have to be dependent on the developed nations for several technologies. I have a vision that in coming times, India will emerge as one of the world leaders in science and technology. Our development in this field will also take care of our real needs and will reach to the common people. Our developed industrial and scientific base will also be able to check brain-drain. It will also help in protecting our environment and sustaining our resource base.

India's policy has always been one of brotherhood and co-existence. yet our borders are surrounded by hostile war-hawks. Unless a nation is able to defend its borders and integrity, all other developments are of no use. We do have several proven instances of internal disturbances. be it Kashmir or the North-East we have dangers all around. International relations are not only important for making friends but also significant for trade, security and communication. India will look forward to developing greater economic ties with Russia, South-East Asia, S. Africa, Latin American countries and also in co-operation with China and geo-economic matters. Our country will also hopefully achieve friendly ties with Pakistan.
Glory of a nation is not complete unless it does well in sports too. I am hopeful that our country will make a great advance in sports winning a number of Olympic medals and international laurels. Sports will be made popular at every stage in India.

Lord Macaulay once remarked while addressing the British Parliament in 1835, “I have travelled across the length and breadth of India and I have not seen one person who is a beggar. Such wealth I have seen in this country, such high moral values, people of such high caliber…” Yes, that is what India was ! Although we have come a long way since then, we still have a lot to achieve as a nation. I, thus, sincerely hope that my vision for a prosperous India in the year 2020 turns into reality. After all, the sky is the limit…

Mahakavi Bharati felt that everyone should be educated. This was clearly understood, when he said that, educating people is better than building thousands of charity homes or temples. We, as individuals, should take initiatives for bringing development in our country. I feel that, a person should have at least two meals a day, everyone must have proper clothes to cover themselves, everyone should have proper shelter with basic amenities and education for all. Do what you can, with what you have and where you are. In India, population is increasing in geometric progression, whereas food production is increasing in arithmetic progression. Citizens of developed countries are free from agonies related to basic amenities in daily life. It's just a cup of tea for them. Whereas, it's vice-versa in India. This diverts them, from working towards the development of the country. Working towards the development of our country is greater than reaching heaven.