India evokes in me pride and passion-pride in its people and passion for its potential. My sense of pride flows from the continuity of the Indian civilisation. And I am excited at the fascinating prospects that await us as we move further into the twenty-first century.

I am proud of India because it is an eloquent symbol of unity in diversity. It is an enchanting music enriched with many melodious tunes. Historically, India has absorbed influences from all over the world and recast them in a uniquely Indian mould. Virtually every strain of cultural and religious belief co-exists in its embrace. Zoroastrians were warmly welcomed in South Gujarat and prospered to become one of India's most progressive communities. Cochini, Baghdadi and Bene Israeli Jews, who came calling over two thousand years ago, did not face any persecution. Every hue of Islam and Christianity carved a niche in India. I am particularly proud that India is home to three major religions-Hinduism, Buddhism and Jainism. Over the millennia, each has sent out the message of tolerance, compassion and non-violence. At the root of all this is India's concept of an eternal system of values, ethics and duties, Sanatana Dharma, which nurtures the freedom of every individual to pursue the faith of his or her choice.

The concept of Vasudaiva Kutumbakam, or the universe as one family, is deeply ingrained in our ethos. People of this land, therefore, have a universal outlook. Over the centuries, they have set foot on shores afar-as teachers, sages, traders, plantation workers, professionals and in recent times, as intellectuals, and information technology practitioners. Never as invaders. Today, living in distant lands, over twenty million overseas Indians epitomise the spirit of Indian enterprise and creativity. That augurs well for an Indian resurgence in the global arena in the not-so-distant future.

Indians are peace-loving. We tend to avoid conflict and wars if possible and recourse to them only if there is no alternative. It is, therefore, not at all surprising that millions rallied to Mahatma Gandhi's call for non-violence.

Indians often respond from the heart. An outpouring of affection for Baby Noor, the Pakistani toddler who underwent heart surgery in Bangalore recently, has done what decades of diplomacy with Pakistan could not.

Indians are connoisseurs. They have grown to appreciate a choice of culinary delights, melody of many musical schools, diversity of dance forms, assortment of art styles and a melange of movies. In recent times, this good taste has extended to travel, wine, fashion and the art of good living.

India is a study in contradiction. Tradition is steeped in modernity; several centuries co-exist; bullock carts meander along leisurely on the same highways as fast-moving automobiles. It has three domestic airlines but men and women often trek on foot to reach their sacred destinations.

India's billion-plus people, especially the young among them, are an inexhaustible source of energy and dynamism. People make India and people will propel it into the future.

Priorities: My Concerns

I am, however, acutely conscious that Indians have to cross innumerable obstacles to realise their destiny. These hurdles are a legacy of a colonial past and a feudal hangover. Enterprising individuals have to learn to find their way through the labyrinth of antiquated structures. They have to deal with the haves who wear the mask of have-nots and deprive the latter of a future. For example, in the name of workers' interests, the eight per cent of India's workforce that is organised is blocking the future of the ninety-two per cent that are unorganised and voiceless.

I am proud of India's democratic structure. The challenge lies in making democracy serve the cause of unity as well as progress. People, not populism, must rule. I would like India to be impatient about the rate of growth and sweep away all that stands in the way of a great leap forward. I am not content with merely analysing the present. Our task is to shape the future. I would like every Indian to focus on it, individually and collectively.

In India, individual brilliance outshines collective teamwork. From science to medicine to sports, we witness the contradiction of individual excellence alongside collective mediocrity.

We all have our identities, ideologies, interests, and ambitions. In my view, India's interests and ambitions should be our own too. Like flowers of various colours, our identities should add to beauty of the bouquet. Our differences should stimulate creative competitiveness and not generate destructive distraction.

As we endeavour to make India an economic superpower, the Indian psyche needs to be tuned to work in a collaborative framework. We need to nurture productive partnerships. This is an essential prerequisite of a networked society. From outsourcing and strategic alliances in the world of business to fighting communicable diseases and global terrorism, partnerships will be a way of life in a globally networked society.

We should endeavour to enhance the dignity of every Indian, by making them stand on their own feet. Subsidies make the economy inefficient, impact people's efforts at self-reliance negatively, and, in the ultimate analysis, undermine their dignity.

The Indian mindset must refuse to think in a linear manner and discard conventional reference points. It should resist the temptation of taking refuge in precedents. The Indian intellect must break free from an evolutionary mindset and conceptualise initiatives in all spheres in a revolutionary manner.

Potential: My Passion

I am proud of our glorious past. But this should not eclipse the drive to build a glorious future. The challenge our generation faces is to tap opportunities of the present and secure India's future in the global economic order.

Today, India is presented with significant new opportunities for advancement. To exploit these opportunities we have to focus on economic imperatives, nation building initiatives, and collective endeavours.

These initiatives will derive their strength from India's potential. They will be fuelled by a passion to see India at the pinnacle of the global order. What do we do to reach there? Our potential shows the path. And our youth will provide the energy to get there.

In agriculture, India has the potential to become the granary of the world. For this, food production must increase twenty-fold and productivity, thirteen times. Indian agriculture must diversify its crop mix and adopt modern farming, biotechnology and food processing.

In manufacturing, India must make up for missing the industrial revolution. This can be done by initially using our labour and natural resource advantage and later, by migrating to value added products.

In information technology, India must graduate from a software major to a powerhouse in information and communications. This can be done by focusing on an overarching information and communications infrastructure, developing applications in every conceivable sphere and creating a dominant domestic market.

In healthcare, India must see itself as a leading healthcare provider to the world.

In energy, India must transform from an energy-deficient country to an energy-surplus one. This is possible because India, has largely underexplored oil and gas reserves, can concentrate on intensive oil and gas exploration and foster regional cooperation for generating large quantities of low-cost hydro-electric power.

India has the unique opportunity to gain from the global requirement for talent by leveraging its human resources. It has a once-in-a-life time opportunity to usher in a talent-driven economic revolution by developing professional resources. This calls for raising the country's professional resource base twenty-fold, from five million to hundred million professionals. This would require significant investments in education: an increase from three per cent of GDP to about eight per cent. India must focus its public funding on school education and encourage private initiatives in higher education, particularly in science and technology.

It is time India placed science at the vanguard of value creation. We must spend significantly on research and focus equally on innovations based on incremental improvements, applied research, technology absorption and product design.

India has to attract significant foreign direct investments if its aspirations of global economic leadership have to fructify. It can easily attract $30 billion each year by creating a supportive policy regime that is devoid of red tape and excessive controls on investment and operation and which encourages foreign ownership across all sectors. To fully harness the high rate of domestic household savings, India has to completely de-licence the financial sector, improve the quality of regulation and bring down the cost of financial intermediation.

These initiatives can enable India realise its double-digit growth potential.

India has every opportunity to emerge a significant economic power. We have many of the basic requisites-physical resources, human talent, a large domestic market, a reasonably strong industrial base, an emerging service sector, institutional systems for technology development, and above all, a vibrant democracy. Let us combine these with a burning desire to achieve global leadership in everything that we do.

An India that does so is my India, my pride.