Urgent Need For A Change in the Indian Mindset

If one takes a close look at the Indian freedom struggle, the protagonists, be it the pacifists like Gandhi, Nehru etc. or the truculent types like Subhash Chandra Bose, Bhagat Singh etc., one will notice that they had one thing in common. All of them based their struggle on an offensive approach. In principle, Gandhi’s weapons such as the Non-Co-operative movement, Satyagraha, Swadeshi etc. were peaceful in nature but vis-à-vis the British, they were highly offensive weapons that kept the British Empire on its toes. Initially, the British had the strength to counter these weapons but with the advent of World War II, the British economy started faltering and they could feel the bite of all these weapons which eventually led to our Independence.

However, regrettably, post-independence, India switched over to a highly defensive & reactive approach which, over the years, has cost us dearly. This approach has been programmed into our memory and we find it extremely difficult to get rid of that mindset. The only government which had a reasonably offensive approach was the Indira Gandhi government which, through proactive measures, managed to split Pakistan into two and also managed to keep our enemies at bay. The current government of Narendra Modi is definitely a few notches above the Indira Gandhi government in terms of aggression but, this aggression seems to be confined to narrow areas and is completely reactive.

Post-independence, India’s diplomatic, military and economic strengths, today, are at their peak. Admitted that Covid has landed a few effective punches on the economy but nevertheless it is recovering at a furious pace. Apart from the aforementioned strengths, India has a huge army of skilled labourers in diverse industries and also a surfeit of reasonably educated people. It also has powerful lobbies in all major capitals around the world. However, despite the presence of such abundant resources, sadly, India’s approach in world affairs is highly defensive and reactive. We are constantly busy working on strategies to defend ourselves from potential attacks from Pakistan, China or any of our other neighbours. We are working on defending the country from narco-terrorism or from attacks on our internal stability by our own people who are, unfortunately, funded by enemies of the country. Despite such strengths we are, at the most, a considerable power in South Asia.

This is fundamentally because of our defensive and passive mindset. Look at the US or the Europeans. They have a significant presence all over the world because they proactively encouraged and supported their business houses to advent all over the world. China did a similar thing but unfortunately it didn’t have the same diplomatic capabilities as the US or the Europeans hence it chose to use the debt trap formula to advance its economic and diplomatic interests worldwide. However, these coercive policies have made the Chinese extremely unpopular around the world. If India wants to be a significant world power then it has to change its mindset and be more proactively aggressive in all areas.

Take our approach towards China for example. Galwan happened because we had a defensive approach for decades. Post Galwan, we are busy anticipating future aggressive moves by China. Had we been more proactive, we’d be busy working on trying to seize Chinese occupied territories including Aksai Chin and the Trans-Karakoram Tract. If one analyzes the recent Chinese bombastic show of force over Taiwan and the South China Sea and also during the CCP’s centenary celebrations, it clearly reflects an underlying layer of fear amongst the Chinese ruling elite, most probably because they have opened up too many battle fronts and their main allies are the moribund Pakistan and North Korea.

India should start working, overtly and covertly, with Chinese adversaries like Taiwan, Philippines, Malaysia etc. and start provocative acts against China to see how far it can be pushed before it decides to take on its multinational adversaries including NATO and QUAD. India should perhaps, take up a similar approach with Sri Lanka where Chinese influence could be detrimental to Indian interests.

On the economic front, Indian companies should be encouraged and supported to invest heavily in Africa. The African continent is highly endowed with various natural resources including uranium. Unlike the Chinese debt trap method or the US aid route, we could work through friendly and mutually beneficial business partnerships based on respect for each other. There are plenty of skilled and educated Indians working in the African continent but this endeavour will give us an opportunity to substantially increase our workforce in Africa. Unlike the Chinese, Indians freely mix in all societies and are well liked and respected all over. Such an approach, if planned and implemented properly, can wean these countries away from their humiliating ties with China. The economic and diplomatic gains of such a move will take the India’s development to a new high.

On the domestic front, the national parliament and the various legislative assemblies have become more of cattle markets where national interest has been subordinated by individual greed and lust for power. There is no constructive criticism, just mindless rhetoric to brainwash the common man. These activities are supported by prominent members of our society, often funded by anti-national forces, including the narcotics lobby. The government has to take offensive action, overtly or covertly, against these individuals and weed out this malaise from Indian society.

However, the first step in order to make India a significant and respected world power is to change our regressive mindset into a positive and progressive one where national interest and pride becomes the primary objective of all our endeavours.