Viksit Bharat needs Viksit Minds |
The vision of establishing Viksit Bharat (developed India) by 2047 is now an integral part of policy visions that reflect the long-term ambition of our policymakers, and this ambition creates a hope among the citizens to achieve the ideal situation of modern human organisations. This vision is often imagined through economic development, modern infrastructure, technological innovation, and global recognition. The government often showcases highways, digital connectivity, start-ups, and economic growth as evidence of national progress. Development, in its deeper sense, is not only about physical transformation. It is equally about the nature of thinking, social understanding, and moral sensibility that shape everyday life. A nation may advance materially, but it cannot truly become viksit without viksit minds.
Every developed society rests on an intellectual and ethical foundation. Roads connect places, but minds connect people. When material growth outpaces social understanding, it creates a lag in society. This lag becomes visible in everyday interactions in the form of intolerance, discrimination, bullying, racism, and, most importantly, the shrinking of democratic conduct. There have been recent incidents across different parts of India that indicate that while our society is struggling to develop a collective consciousness and shared representations, in........