Introduction

This is a blog about India Rising. A country that has a glorious history going back over 5000 years; a culture that is as ancient as civilisation itself, with art, crafts and literature that is thousands of years old.

India is a country that is a microcosm of the world we live in. Its diversity never ceases to amaze. And yet, from the time of Chandragupta Maurya, this country has, for the most part, been ruled by a single government. There were times, when dynasties faltered and rulers were weak, that the country broke up into myriad constituents. But those phases never lasted long. Each time, another ruler would come along and re-unite the country. While the political map has changed since 300 BC, the country itself has changed little.

Interestingly, India was prosperous for most of its 5000 years of recorded history. Irrespective of the ideologies or religion of the rulers, the country flourished, with the exception of the rule of the British.

But this blog is not about history (though I will be tempted to throw in nuggets when I think they will interest readers). It is about the fact that a prosperous country, repressed and ravaged under foreign rule, is now finally picking itself up and rising to take its rightful place in the world.

This is not an easy process. There are challenges along the way. There is historical and cultural baggage that we carry. There are dangers to be vanquished and chasms to be crossed along the way.

But something is different. There is a change in the air. And this blog will attempt to understand what is happening in this journey for Ascendant India. The beauty and the warts. And hopefully, we will learn in this journey as well.