India is Not a Divine Exception
Temple, Mosque and Church coexist in Thiruvananthapuram “Here is the truth that grand old Winston Churchill, for all his perspective and wisdom, could not confront: we are an ordinary country .” Andrew Marr writes in his book Elizabethans: A History of How Modern Britain Was Forged (2020). Britain is a “beautiful, diverse, law-abiding, hard-working and ingenious country,” he goes on, “but we are an ordinary one – not New Jerusalem, not Greater Britain…. Once we cast aside the illusions and forget the absurd ambitions, there is much in our recent history to celebrate, enjoy and learn from.” Such humble and candid realism is a need of the hour, I think. Hence this post. India now has a Prime Minister who asserts every now and then that India is the “most ancient living civilisation,” “mother of democracy,” and “vishwaguru.” No doubt, India had its own greatness in the past. But we also need to look at the other side in order to have a balanced perspective. And realise that we, Indi...
