No great leader emerges unless there is a crisis. Mohandas Gandhi would have remained a mediocre lawyer had not the freedom struggle discovered the leadership qualities in him. Abraham Lincoln would not have secured his present place in history without the crisis that challenged his potential in the form of the Civil War. Mr Narendra Modi has his historical opportunity now to prove his station in history. India is faced with a crisis called nationalism. Nationalism, by definition, is excessive devotion to the interests of a particular nation-state. It is valid when there is a threat to the autonomy of the nation-state. India is not facing any such threat now. Yet nationalism has become a craze among a sizeable section of the population. When there is no threat to the nation, the only other reason for nationalist sentiments to breed and spread is a desire to dominate. It is an urge to impose a certain culture or religion or some such thing over the others. What
Cerebrate and Celebrate