My India- A Melting Pot Of Different Minds I Blog by Aditi, 18, Bengaluru

My India- A Melting Pot Of Different Minds 

Where the mind is without fear and the head is held high

Where knowledge is free

Where the world has not been broken up into fragments

By narrow domestic walls

Where words come out from the depth of truth

Where tireless striving stretches its arms towards perfection

Where the clear stream of reason has not lost its way

Into the dreary desert sand of dead habit

Where the mind is led forward by thee

Into ever-widening thought and action

Into that heaven of freedom, my Father, let my country awake.

These legendary lines by Rabindranath Tagore represent the aspirations not only of our founding fathers but also of a majority of us citizens in the world’s largest democracy. Republic Day is a good time to sit back and take stock of how far we have come since the midnight of India’s tryst with destiny, and indeed, we have come a long way! Today, India is the fifth-largest economy globally, and we are working towards becoming even bigger and better.

Any kind of growth is possible only when we dare to dream of change and work towards achieving it. As a non-speaking autistic individual who uses text to communicate, I aspire to see an India where neurodivergent individuals like me have equal access to education and work opportunities in a manner that is meaningful for all stakeholders involved. After all, everyone is good at something. The most logical step towards creating a society that treats all its citizens equally is to establish a system that builds on people’s strengths. This will eventually translate into meaningful engagement, greater social participation, and the creation of a society that is inclusive in the truest sense of the word. This is the better India that I hope to see.

I believe that as a society, we have taken baby steps towards this ideal, and that explains why I am here, expressing my thoughts. Here’s to wishing for giant leaps that will bring us closer to the end goal. After all, it takes minds of different kinds to make this world a better place.

***

Photo Credit – Copyright Free, Royalty Free images from Pexels