i for India

Current Population of India in 2010 is around 1,150,000,000 (1.15 billion) people and it has a total land area of 3,287,263 square kilometers
The official GDP growth rate in 2009-10 has been 6.1% .
Service industry accounts for 62.6% of the country's GDP while the industrial and agricultural sector contribute 20% and 17.5% respectively.However Agriculture is the predominant occupation in India, accounting for about 52% of employment.

Poverty in India is widespread with the nation estimated to have a third of the world's poor. According to a 2005 World Bank estimate, 42% of India falls below the international poverty line of $1.25 a day (PPP, in nominal terms Rs. 21.6 a day in urban areas and Rs 14.3 in rural areas); having reduced from 90% in 1980. According to the criterion used by the Planning Commission of India 40% of the population was living below the poverty line in 2004–2005, down from 51.3% in 1977–1978.

These statistics indicate that it is not the end of road.
The Country has been growing steadily having fought five Conventional wars and being engaged in long drawn sub conventional conflict.
Yes politicians are corrupt. I should say most of them are incapable to run the country. This leaves a lot of latitude in hands of bureaucracy.
Then there are Self interests, Regional -Communal interests, Political compulsions. The National interest is missing.
In 25 years of wandering around the country i have met,
“Punjabi, Sindhi, Guajarati, Marathi,
Dravidians, Utkalis, Bengalis….”
Sorry to say no one was an Indian first.

So we have Mayawati. I appreciate her courage but she has NO policies. And her coterie of bureaucrats does not have courage of conviction to tell her that Grand Parks, statues do not feed hungry children in hinterland. Often in conflict of self interest and National interest unfortunately the latter is sacrificed.
We have Sibu Soren, convicted for homicide, but CM of a state. Political computations overrule National Interests.

I do not watch World Wrestling Federation matches. You see much better version of contact sports in Parliament. Should we not be ashamed that we elect send this muck to Parliament House? (Why Should I be? I don’t vote!) 50% of Indians Don’t Vote most and most of them are educated elite.
So who will bell the cat? There are no short term solutions. Education is must. Then we have to ensure that right people reach where it matters, by participating in elections as candidates and as voters.
And yes we have to discover India within us.

“I,” for India.