India’s entry into the 21st century has to be seen from the political, social, cultural and scientific angles mainly. The subject is too vast for the limited space of this essay. Therefore I shall touch upon only the salient (= main) points.
Politically India has matured. Now her electorate (= voters) is more conscious and controls or restrains the reckless behavior of her leaders. The process is slow, but perceptible (= can be seen). The leaders have to take into account the people’s wrath (= anger). At the centre and in the states the parties go into significant permutation and combinations. No single party can perch on the saddle of the political warhorse as an all time master. Any faux pas (= false step) will throw him out. A healthy sign, no doubt.
In the social form the greatest gain is the sprouting (= growing) of the non-government organizations. They are like Sri Aurobindo’s ‘centres of consciousness’, bodies formed around devoted volunteers brilliantly inspired by concepts of reform. They counteract fundamentalism (= a theory that rigidly holds fast to rigid social, religious ideas), which is a negative force in life where the national and international frontiers are fast melting. They have aroused in men an awareness to reality. Another have come out of their ivory towers (= dream worlds) taking up the cause humanity. As a result often the political diehard (= rigid) of obstructions are removed by the effects of social consciousness. Literacy drivers, antipollution zehads, women’s reservation issues are today mustering (= gathering) force.
The Indian national culture is today a tangible (= which can be felt) phenomenon. Her regional languages are forming a confrere (= brotherhood) through the dedicated services of scholars who have visions of unity amidst diversity. Indian English is slowly gaining ground as a world language.
Another significant, although sad, aspect of this century is the role of the High Courts and the Supreme Court. It is a sad comment on our political overlords that the Justices have to interfere. Almost at every step laws have to be propounded to bring wrongdoers to the book, whereas simple honesty could have set things right. Never in the past had the courts been saddled with such duties. It is a mockery of the political system.
The funniest part is that the High Courts even run the university examinations! Politics today is dimmed as an ignoble – a vocation and the Parliament often runs riot (= behaves madly) like a savage crowd.
But inspite of all these is an upsurge among the intelligentsia. The computer software culture is gradually affecting every sphere of our life – almost with menacing (= dangerous) speed. The internet and ‘dot com’ seen to draw our youth in their dragnet.
The last one is a healthy prospect, – especially for India. Our politically controlled facilities of research are basically corrupt at the centre. Power-politics, nepotism and the cult of mutual benefit throw, often, genuine talent into the backwater. The ‘internet’, ‘e- mail’ and allied facilities shall tide over this mean hurdle. Even the obscurest talent shall, eventually, shake hands with his counterpart across the vast seas.
All told, the 21st century behoves (= fits) well with India. We may look forward to better days.
