President of India Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam, by his vision 2020, has given a call to Indians, to cooperate to make India a developed nation by 2020. All the Indians who want to see India on the path of progress and the NRI's who have brought credit to India are very happy on this declaration of the President. Surprisingly, a young enthusiastic student wanted to know from Dr. Kalam that 'why India can't be a developed nation in 2015'? Obviously today country needs young blood with such zealous and optimistic thinking that can play an important role with their hopeful & encouraging ideas in making India a developed nation.

 

At the same time, there are they left political groups in India, who trumpets the card of patriotism group but have miserably failed to take the country on the path of constructive advancement, as evidenced in their performance in state under their rule like West Bengal and Kerala. Communalism and casteism are the main hurdles in the path of Indian development. Then there are the religion based Hindutva groups and the Islamist groups, who want to divide the country along the religio-communal lines, when unity is needed to guide the nation towards prosperity. Such communal organizations have already divided India in 1947 on the basis of community. After 1947, although the fundamental Hindutva groups remained somewhat hostile in attitude towards the Muslim in India, the great majority of the Hindus with secular and liberal thoughts considers the Indian Muslims just as Indian citizens. They have made many plans, committees and departments to enable the Muslims to join the mainstream of progress of the country. Some surveys done in the country have revealed that most of the Muslims in India are illiterate, poor and unemployed. Whenever the central government or any state government takes the steps to uplift the backward Muslim class, at that time these communal powers raise a hue and cry and try to nullify it by polarizing the Hindu votes.

In India, many organisations are active on caste and religion-based politics but it is a matter of pleasure that even today 71% of Indians including the Hindus, the Muslims, the Sikhs, the Christians are proud of being Indians and not on being of their own community. In recent past, British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) conducted a wide survey in India. The facts that came to light from this survey clearly showed bad prospects for  the people, who depend on religion and community issues in politics for their selfish ends. The survey reveals that more than 55% of Indians want social harmony and communal peace and consider communalism and casteism are big hurdles. The results of this survey gave weight to the Vision 2020 of the President Kalam when it showed that 6 out of 10 Indians consider it a matter of personal importance when India becomes the super power in economic, military and political spheres. Fifty-eight percent of Indians expressed their views that security of India is in danger by some Indians. This survey also revealed that 50% people don't take religion seriously. This survey by BBC must have discouraged the communal and caste based organisation.

In fact, the energy used for encouraging communal and caste based programs by some organisations, if it is used on the resources that are helpful in making India a developed nation, undoubtedly, that the imagination of the optimist young student of making India a developed nation by 2015, five years ahead of President Kalam's vision, can be turned into reality. All the Indians should learn a lesson from the history that tells that communalism has lead us to nowhere. It makes us weak and never gives us strength. It may be the partition of 1947 or the incident of communal violence of last two decades or the current terrorism movement in Kashmir and previously in Punjab, all these only shed blood of the Indians by the Indians. All these incidents weaken India and make India weaker in all fronts. These incidents don't lead India to the path of progress. Often time, a question is asked in India that how Japan, that has suffered an atomic attack, can advance so high in so short a time. Many people ask the same question about fast-developing China. There is only one answer to these questions, which is: all the people in those countries are sincerely devoted to their nation. That devotion is not a show or drama. They prove their love for the nation by their deeds and duty. They don't involve in mere words. The shops based on caste and communal works don't give profits there. Such efforts are condemned in those countries.

Today, India too needs such efforts. Those who blow empty trumpets of patriotism must think if their organisations are useful for the Hindus and the Muslims in India or the country as a whole. If a person who is a native of India takes pride in only belonging to a particular community, it will undoubtedly not make India an advanced nation. But if all the people of India sing in the joint voice  'We are proud of being an Indian,'   it will certainly make India a developed nation before 2020.