For me, India is a civilizational concept. It was the cherished dream of our forefathers, a journey towards that dream for us and finally the realisation of that dream by our children. India is an idea of perfection, an idea of completeness and an idea of the very best synthesised in the crucible of humanity. India empowered is the essence of this dream. An empowered India can no longer be transgressed and trespassed. The sentinels of the nation are no longer merely seen as the mighty ranges in the north and the deep waters around us. India’s strength would be reflected by a strong economy and a powerful military machine which is professional and modern. This strength would come about with the indomitable will of its people and the insurmountable resolve of its soldiers. Empowerment will be achieved through a conducive atmosphere for growth, ingenuity, education, enlightenment and idea flourishing in an environment of safety and security. An empowered nation will carry both opportunity and prosperity to all far flung corners of the country, thereby bridging divides and building relationships of faith and unity. This can only happen if we retain our core strength by relentlessly defeating forces of divisiveness and encouraging diffused ideas of centrifugal tendencies to join the mainstream. This concept of participative and unifying collective security should be the national security policy for an empowered India. No country has achieved greatness on the strength of a part of its population; no people have broken the shackles of mediocrity through the genius of a few; no army has won a war merely on the strength of its generals. This can only be achieved in an India free from internal conflicts. This, for me, is the cherished goal that I would like the country to achieve because an ailing part of the body is bound to impact its overall health and efficiency. Our journey towards progress, modernisation and alleviation will not be a journey free from hurdles. No nation has achieved greatness without surmounting challenges—India is unlikely to be an exception. Our needs for ever increasing energy resources, a peaceful neighbourhood which is vibrant and stable. Thus, the ability to achieve our modernisation goals can only be fulfilled if and when we are capable of thwarting challenges from potential adversaries. Though this is often considered the task of the government and the armed forces, yet this is a journey that all of us must undertake as a nation, as a people and as a dream that we all have envisioned for ourselves. For centuries ideas, ideals and ideologues have shaped our journey. Today slowly yet steadily, the realms of reality are finally taking their final turn towards India’s tryst with its destiny. After years of hard work and sacrifice, the time has finally come to share the fruits of our endeavours. This sustained effort has seen us substantially enhance our ability, our confidence and our resolve to achieve results in an atmosphere of global competition. The country has seen rapid industrialisation driving the people and the country towards the road to prosperity and self-reliance. India ranks amongst the developed countries in its expertise in space technologies, information, bio and nanotechnology. For me, an India does not exist at the bottom end of the technology chain; it shines at the very top and our ascent towards that top has already begun. For this, we need collective advancement in the burgeoning knowledge economy. The currency of power in the 20th century was deterrence, the currency of power in the 21st century will be knowledge. It is also my firm belief that an empowered India will only achieve its destiny if we can individually and collectively help by taking up the challenge of helping the underprivileged in our society. An India empowered can truly become empowered when the divide between the privileged and the underprivileged is bridged. This will not only happen through the policies and efforts of he government, but by the small incremental efforts of each and every one of us through participative empowerment of children amongst the weaker sections of the society. For me, empowerment is a collective dream that the haves and have-nots must see together. The haves should be ‘more sharing and caring’. Collective genius evolves from a balanced approach, thinking and ideas emerging from that genius are implemented by a firm. This resolve can only find fulfillment through equal opportunity and encouragement towards the attainment of equal benefits for men and women alike. Ours is a country which has traditionally accepted and encouraged the role of women in society. It is a country where there are numerous deities in the female form. It is a country where women have conquered space and proven that if given the opportunity they are capable of achieving dreams of the nation. For me, the girl child will remain the strength of collective human resource management. Finally, I see empowerment through the collective spirit of India, which can only manifest itself if we recognise and follow the very essence of being an Indian.
