INDIA EMPOWERED=Sanskriti, Samruddhi and Su-raj

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>INDIA EMPOWERED TO ME IS Sanskriti, Samruddhi and Su-raj>LK ADVANI , BJP

PRESIDENT, LEADER OF OPPOSITION>Indian Express>August 17, 2005>> Words are

carriers of meanings. But meanings, when culled out from equivalent>words in

different languages, often suffer from a phenomenon that is familiar>to us:

Lost in translation. Thus, 'dharma' means much more than 'religion'.>Similarly,

'power' means much less than 'shakti'. In India's philosophical and>social

traditions, shakti has a profound spiritual connotation, and its use

is>permissible only for ethically good ends. Shakti is even considered

the>empowering principle of the entire cosmos. In contrast, the meaning of

'power'>is prosaic. And in today's environment, it is all too common that

people take>'power' to mean 'satta' (political power). And since politics has

acquired a>certain undesirable, even ugly, connotation, its association with

power - what>is frequently called 'power politics' - has bred

cynicism.>>Therefore, the discussion on 'India's empowerment' brings to my mind

three>inter-related thoughts: Sanskriti (culture), Samruddhi (prosperity for

all) and>Su-raj (good governance).>>I firmly believe that India's empowerment

must be understood in its loftier>sense, and not merely, as often happens these

days, in terms of the attainment>of a higher GDP growth rate or some other

purely economic indicator. We should>not confuse means with the ends. The idea

of a Shaktishali Bharat - India>Empowered, if you will - must recognize that

this great and ancient nation of>ours is already the repository of so many

hidden and unique strengths.>>These strengths are mainly ethical, spiritual,

cultural and intellectual in>nature. These strengths are the outcome of the

millennial journey of our>civilization and have survived numerous foreign

invasions and many vicissitudes>of history. They are embedded in the lives of

our ordinary people, in our>family and community values, in our heritage of art

and culture, and in our>epics and in the immortal works of our seers and social

reformers. Even when>India was enslaved, and even when Free India was not as

prosperous as it is>today, these strengths of India were globally recognized

and they earned for>India enormous goodwill and admiration among peoples all

over the world. In>diplomatic and strategic affairs discussions, these

intangible strengths are>described as 'soft power'. Thus, in terms of 'soft

power' - in contrast to>'hard power' that is measured by nuclear stockpiles,

force projection>worldwide, economic might, etc. - India is already a highly

empowered nation.>>I am saying this not to suggest that science, technology,

trade, investments>and>capacity to compete - and win - in today's era of

globalization do not matter>for India. No, not in the least. Rather, in

referring to India's spiritual,>cultural and civilisational heritage, my

purpose is two-fold. One, let us not>be blind to, or belittle the value of, the

shakti that India already possesses.>The value of this heritage is immeasurable,

and its need in the future - both>for India and some extent for the world at

large - is going to be immense. Only>a nation without an awareness of its own

past, and a vision of its own for the>future, will allow material prosperity to

come in a manner that impoverishes us>culturally, morally and spiritually.>>My

second reason for referring to it is that this cultural-spiritual

heritage,>diverse though it is, is the main source of our national unity.

Therefore, a>non-sectarian and non-communal invoking of the life-nourishing,

unifying and>truly empowering aspects of this heritage can unleash among our

people latent>nationalist energy, without which no nation can achieve big

goals.>>Some people wrongly, even wilfully, find fault with the BJP for

describing>culture as the unifying principle of Indian nationhood. I would like

to>emphasise that culture is not to be confused with any particular

religion.>India is a multi-religious secular nation and this is a matter of

pride for all>us. India belongs to all, and all must belong to India. My party

is opposed not>to secularism, but to pseudo-secularism - to the tendency among

certain parties>to indulge in minorityism at the cost of both national

interests and the>interests of the minorities themselves. Indeed, if we are

truly concerned about>India's empowerment, we should progressively reduce, and

ultimately do away>with, the talk of 'majority' and 'minority' communities from

the domain of>public life. Every section of India must be empowered, for India

to be truly>empowered.>>What is the way forward? I'll encapsulate the answer in

just one word: Su-raj>(good governance). Our forefathers won Swaraj (political

freedom) for India.>They had dreamed that attainment of Swaraj would lead to

Su-raj. That dream is>yet to be substantially fulfilled. And that is the task

before all the>political parties in India today. A task to be accomplished

through a spirit of>cooperation, and with a firm understanding that exercise of

'satta' must be for>the enhancement of shakti - India's and every

Indian's.>>>>------------------------------->This

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