Hinduism is arguably the oldest religion, with its roots and traditions that date back to more than 4,000 years. Although the formulations of primary religious texts, treatises, and philosophical elaborations date back at least to 2,500 years, it is only subsequent to the advent of the Upanishads and the Mahabharata, of which Bhagavad Gita is a part, that led to the progress of deeper and inner spirituality, as opposed to a ritualistic praxis of the earlier times. Vedanta, of which the Advaita Vedanta was a dominant stream of thought, came to be a more refined approach at transcendence - a movement away from an external God to one immanent within one’s own being. “Tat Tvam Asi”, meaning ‘You Are That’, became one of the four principal profound sayings of the Upanishadic philosophy, positing the ultimate unity of the individual soul with the universe.

Adi Shankaracharya (8th century AD), Ramakrishna Paramahansa (19th century AD), and Ramana Maharshi (20th century AD), were some among the most well-known spiritual leaders of eminence. Their spiritual practices easily lent themselves to adoption by anyone regardless of their religious persuasion, in that, enlightenment or liberation of universal suffering could be attained even by an average man living out a life of humdrum existence, by leading a life of purity of mind and action.

So far so good. But, now, fast forward in time.
Modern-day India appears to have turned its back on those days of enlightenment of the yore. Today's India abhors Mahatma Gandhi while at the same time glorifying Nathuram Godse - his killer. The RSS - the rabidly ultra-rightwing organization that harbors pervasive and virulent hatred against Muslims and Christians, was in fact the cradle of Godse’s perverse Hindu nationalistic ideology, now known as the Hindutva. The political wing of the RSS is the BJP (Bharatiya Janata Party). Narendra Modi, schooled in the principles of Hindutva vis-a-vis RSS ever since his younger days, is currently the Prime Minister of India. He has been in power for the past 15 years. Under him, the present-day India has become increasingly and stridently intolerant of religious minorities (especially, the Muslims and the Christians), thus flagrantly violating the secular ethos enshrined in the Indian Constitution.

There are multiple voices of sanity that seek to portray Sanatana Dharma - the Eternal Way, in glowing ways. However, the RSS theological construct, would rather have its own distorted modus operandi to restore India back to its halcyon days of eminence. In pursuing this path, the fact that India is home to a multiplicity of religions, cultures, and traditions, all living together once upon a time in accord, the RSS has deliberately chosen to sully the intrinsically secular character of the country. Their attempt to create a “Hindu Rashtra” has not only been their dream, but also a fait accompli of late in their own minds. To an observer, with an admiring eye for its catholicity of religious ethos spanning several thousand years, today’s India, in contrast, would appear to be hyper-religious (Hindu), hyper-nationalistic (Hindutva), overtly hyper-patriotic (Hindu Rashtra), and championing a propagandist cause. Such a phenomenon, if not in all of its details, is true elsewhere in the world, as well. For example, it also is the mantra being chanted currently in the US; and, it is catching up in Europe, as well. India’s dream of rapidly becoming a super-power overnight appears not to be grounded in reality. The far from democratic regime of Modi, has bought off a majority of the news outlets in the country; and these, in turn, have become cheerleaders and mouthpieces for whatever the government does and says. The recent GenZ protests at Jantar Mantar in Delhi, and the spontaneous uprising of the Cockroach Janata Party against the entrenched establishment, were a direct product of the ruling BJP’s arrogance towards the youth, and their increasing dire plight for survival by way of job opportunities in a rigged system. In addition, the overt hostile attitude being shown towards its immediate neighbor to the east, namely Bangladesh, by many of the India news outlets, and also the government, begs the question: have they lost their marbles? The bizarre idea that Sheikh Hasina, the ousted erstwhile PM of Bangladesh who fled to India and is currently enjoying political asylum there, can still be instituted back into power in Dhaka where she is not welcome anymore, was amply displayed recently by letting her orchestrate a “news conference”. Therein, a manufactured group of “foreign correspondents” delved on how Hasina was being wronged in Bangladesh despite her ‘virtuous rule’ there. Such shenanigans do not bode well for the highly desirable amity between these two neighboring countries.

Of late, the US Congressional decision to levy 100% tariff (now awaiting the US President's signature) on those countries which buy Russian oil (and India, is one of them), has put the whole Indian intelligentsia in a convulsive rage, and vowing that India will draw a red line and exact" revenge". The fact of the matter is, while China holds cards by virtue of its immense economic clout, India does not. But, India's continued display of megalomania, and the frequent tirades and outbursts from its media (but not from the people), only betray a deep-seated arrogance and hubris on their part.

Whether India will recover from this morass, and see the light, remains to be seen. There is hope yet, because India is still blessed with a great deal of science-based, technological heft in a number of leading technologies of the future, plus a population that boasts a thriving, secular, elite intellect. Therefore, for the sake of maintaining a balance of power in the subcontinent rather than hegemonical pursuits in- social, political, and economic spheres - India, urgently needs to rise above the self-inflicted chaos, discordance, and disharmony, foisted by its current political establishment in New Delhi and its cheer leaders over these last 15 years.