India @75 & beyond

India, i.e. Bharat, a Country that loves & celebrates their heroes. An Olympic medal match having an Indian will have a billion hearts praying leading to triumph or sometimes disappointment. There were heroes during the freedom struggle in the early 20th Century whom we still celebrate, there are Cricket & other Sports personalities & finally Film Stars. These personalities help Indians fill a void in their routine life. It is as if there is a scarcity of Leaders in our Country whom we look up to. With multiple Cultures & Languages there has always been an effort to bring about an Indianness or oneness amongst all. As they say, there are multiple India’s. There is a rural India where bulk of the Population still resides but whose contribution to Indian Economy & GDP is shrinking. There is a modern India comprising around 5%- - 7% of the population who compare themselves with the rest of the Developed World & would like to see themselves as Equal amongst them. It is very difficult to segment Indians Economically or Culturally with each part of the Country striving to preserve their ethnicity, culture & language. During the freedom struggle the Political Leaders were able to unite a large part of the Country towards a common cause. This also helped in providing Political stability for a few decades. However somewhere down this journey we got stuck with very poor growth rates almost leading to stagnation. Post 1991 there has been a change with moderate to high growth. Today in 2024 where do we see India. There are many who feel that we have been deprived of our true History by glorifying only certain aspects. Does the true strength of India lie in our ancient History? This civilization is thousands of years old which has withstood time. There are native religions that have lived a millennia & still thriving. India has always been Polytheist culture ruled by many Kings. However today, the world has changed significantly post the Industrial Revolution. The Leaders of the Industrial Revolution including USA & Western Europe have reached this position having started in the 19th Century. Other East Asian Countries have also caught up with them. China has become an Economic Power house. After 75+ years of Independence & several mis-steps over the last several decades, what are the steps that India needs to take to be amongst the Equals ?