Why We're Lucky to Be Indians in Such a Terrible World

While much of the world reels under violence, India remains largely peaceful. Disturbances, if any, are rare

- MANU JOSEPH

Of late, I am hearing Indians say an un-Indian thing. When they think about a world in turmoil—the devastating wars in the Levant and Ukraine, the cruelty of militias in Africa, the upheavals in Bangladesh, the recent collapse of Sri Lanka's economy, and of Afghanistan and Pakistan, which do not require descriptors—I hear them say, "Actually, we are quite lucky to be Indians."

This sentiment is new. Indians have for long said some good things about India, but many were probably faking it, or talking about an ancient India, or did not quite know what they were talking about. But what I hear now, that we are lucky to be Indians, is honest, and even true. In the past, many of us have thought of the worst places on Earth and broadly thanked our stars that at least we are in India, but never before have so many regions made us feel so lucky.

In any relationship, saying that you are lucky to have it is high praise. And so too when people feel that way about their nation, even if it is just that half the world around us appears to be in ruins or under threat. The world was always in turmoil, and there were always writers who told us about it. But now we can see extraordinary videos that show just how violent modern violence is. Even when there is no war, a cartel of thugs can make generations suffer. A mere five years is half the span of a childhood, and in that period a whole generation can lose its future. In that way, many regions of the world have regressed.