India has moved on...

While the Ayodhya Verdict was being awaited, most TV Channels were asking the question whether the new India had moved on beyond Ayodhya.  The Home Ministry had shared a lot of economic data to show how much India had moved on - Growth rate in 1992 was 2% while in 2010 it was at 9%, Per Capital Income had grown from Rs.12,000 to Rs.43,000, the number of computers had increased from 0.4 million to over 40 million and the foreign exchange reserves had moved up from $200 million to over $200 billion...yes, they said, India has moved on.

On December 7, 1992, many thought that all Indians were discussing the demolition of a structure in Ayodhya a day earlier.  All newspapers carried news on the demolition on their front page.  While many were discussing the demolition, our cricket team was in South Africa playing a one-day match which they lost by 3 wickets to South Africa.  In Mumbai, there were many sitting and discussing Cognitive Bases of Learning at the Homi Bhaba Centre for Science Education.

It was Dec 4, 1992.  A film director was tensed.  His movie had released that day.  It was important for him that this movie do well in the box office.  The reasons were not just because he was the director of this film but because this was his son's first film as the lead actor. Like him there would have been many others who were worried about other things happening in their lives (not that the Ayodhya event would not have worried them...but they also would have had other priorities).

India is a very diverse country.  For over thousands of years, huge contradictions have existed in India and they all co-exist.  The greatness of the country is the way it takes this diversity in its stride.  Just 200 years ago in many parts of the world, people were put to death or put in prisons and tortured for having contrarian thought. Gautam Buddha was invited to endless debates in India when he challenged the Hindu Religion 1500 years ago. He was not locked up or killed. 

I switched on the TV this morning to check if there was any adverse impact as a result of yesterday's court verdict.  The breaking news was on the Tamil Movie Superstar Rajini's latest film "Enthiran - The Robot".  The first show had started at 5 am in Chennai, India.  I watched news clippings of Rajini's fans (calling themselves Rajini Fanatics with an Orkut following of 96,000) celebrating the new movie release.  They were having so much fun that I wondered whether this was the same India that waited the whole of yesterday with bated breath.

In many ways, India has moved on and in many ways, India has remained as beautifully diverse in thought as she has always been for over 10,000 years...I am really not sure if India has moved on as there is actually no need for that!!! 

Which other country in this world can boast of having a Prime Minister and the President from minority communities and the Leader of the Ruling Party with foreign origins?  Only India!!!