Is Indias superpower potential largely a media myth?
That’s part of it, but the desire to become a superpower is also part of the aspirations of the middle class. It sees the kind of status that people of Indian origin enjoy in the U.S. and Britain, and that creates an aspiration to see India on a standing that they think an ancient civilization deserves. China has made a very conscious decision to pursue superpower status. Does India know what it wants to be? There’s always been an ambivalence in India. Part of it has to do with the legacy of Indian traditions, which, however materialistic, have also urged people to think about the fact that the ultimate human condition is not about material progress but about the dignity of human life and sound human relationships. I think China has had to barter its soul to achieve what it wants to achieve. In India, there is still some degree of resistance. Indians in the U.S. are not particularly known for assimilating. Are there demerits to this? I’m not in favor of assimilation, by which I mean no
