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In its known history of thousands of years, India has maintained the status of an iconic nation in the world. The Indian civilization is one of the oldest civilizations on the planet Earth. The footprints of this civilization speak for the basic character of Indian people in ancient times. People’s attitude towards development by way of co-operation, coordination and collation on a mega scale, harmony with nature and commitment to the supreme human value of Ahimsa –non-violence (declared as the Dharma in grandeur in Indian philosophy , i.e., “अहिंसा परमो धर्मः –Ahimsa Paramo Dharma’’) has been the consistent hallmark of this civilization. Excavations done at various sites of India’s landscape for the remains of the Indus Valley Civilization clearly divulge people’s foray in international relations.

Since ancient times, India is a country of diversities. Unity in diversity, and diversity in unity is the identity of Indian society and the culture. The Indian society is liberal and tolerant by nature. Forbearance is cornerstone of the Indian society; ditto for the Indian culture, history of which dates to pre-historical time, reflecting acceptance, adaptability, harmony and tolerance, the unique attributes of Ahimsa as its core qualities.                

Megasthenes, a Greek Ambassador in the Court of Mauryan Emperor Chandragupta Maurya wrote about Indian society, political system and culture of those days in his book entitled, The Indica. Therein he describes tolerance, reconciliation, constructivism and consonance in people’s way of life as their cultural attributes. Two famous Chinese pilgrims, Fa-Hien and Hiuen Tsang visited India during the Gupta Empire and the Vardhana Dynasty respectively. They wrote about the Indian society, the culture, and the lifestyle of the people. Along with the basic characteristics of the Indian society and the culture, as mentioned in foregoing, they broached on the influence of these attributes on people of the whole of Asia, the East. From their descriptions, the reality of India’s status as the spiritual Guru or a Vishwaguru in ancient time becomes crystal clear.

Abu Raihan Muhammad Al-Biruni, a Persian scholar, thinker and an Indologist, in his famous work entitled, Tarikh Al-Hind (history of India) writes at length about Indian society, the culture and the way of life, especially about India’s grand status in religio-spiritual field, advances in art, culture, education and science; thus, reinforcing India’s cult position as the Vishwajnanaguru.

From worthy descriptions of all these and other scholars-intellectuals, including a historian of Alexander like Arrian, who also penned a book titled, Indica, echoed similar sentiments about India’s exalted standing in the whole of the East, especially the impact of  India in socio-cultural and spiritual uplift of the entire Asian region and beyond. 

In the making of India’s iconic position in academic, educational, philosophical and spiritual spheres as also in the field of science, the contribution of the Vedic Rishis remained paramount. In this regard, the names of Vyasa, the one who compiled the Vedas, the author of the Mahabharata and an important character in many of the Puranas, Mahamuni Markandeya, the author of the Markandeya Purana, Charaka, the father of medicine and who wrote Charakasamhita, the encyclopaedia of the Ayurveda, which dwells on human anatomy, embryology, pharmacology, blood-circulation and diseases like diabetes, tuberculosis, heart-attack etc., Maharishi Kanada, the founder of the Vaisheshika Darshan, one of six schools of thoughts of philosophy of India, and also the father of the Atomic Theory, are worthy of mention. It is a long chain in which along with many others, the name of Patanjali, the father of the Science of the Yoga, which is a distinctive contribution of India to the world, Aryabhata, a master astronomer and mathematician, who first proclaimed that the Earth is round and rotating on its axis while orbiting the Sun, approximately one thousand years before the Heliocentric Theory was developed by Copernicus, and Bhaskaracharya, the first to discover gravity, hundreds of years before Isaac Newton, are of special mention.  

India’s history of the last two thousand five hundred years is replete with the muse and guidance of great sages and seers, from Tirthankara Vardhamana Mahavira, the exponent of the unique Anekantavada  doctrine, the principles of pluralism and multiplicity of viewpoints, Shakyamuni Gautama Buddha, preceptor of the eternal Law of Change, a benchmark in India’s philosophical tradition, Adi Shankaracharya, the preacher of Advaita Vedanta and the commentator of the Brahma Sutras, Upanishads and Shrimadbhagavadgita, Swami Dayananda Saraswati, the great Vedic-Hindu thinker-scholar,  reformist and  founder of the Arya Samaj to Swami Vivekananda, a great Vedantic scholar and reformist, reviver of Hinduism and Indian nationalism, which established India as the leader of the East in academic, educational, intellectual, philosophical and spiritual fields. The work and views of these Indians left a deep impact on socio-cultural and spiritual life of the people of Asia, the East, and generally on the rest of the world.  

It was the result of the Satya-based unprecedented discoveries of the great Rishis and endeavours of scholars par excellence, and men of the ages that the Indian view absorbed universalism (Sarvabhaumikta) as the prime guiding-force for all fields of endeavours worldwide.

So many aggressors and tyrants came to India during the last two thousand five hundred years. They tried to mess with the basic features of Indian culture. They made persistent efforts to destroy life-values and upset socio-cultural, spiritual and philosophical moorings of India. They also tried to enslave India for hundreds of years, but they could not succeed in their wrong doings. Such types of ill efforts will not succeed in the future also.  

Written history is eloquent testimony to the fact that the great Indians discharged their responsibilities towards the nation and the world keeping India’s socio-cultural values intact on one hand and conveying the message of Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam and Jiyo Aur Jeene Do on the other. 

Today, India is the most populated country in the world. Besides being the birthplace of democracy (Loktantra), Hindustan is the largest democracy of the world. Indian economy is the world’s seventh largest courtesy nominal GDP and third largest courtesy purchasing power parity. The United States, The United Kingdom, The United Arab Emirates, The Netherlands, Singapore, Saudi Arabia, People’s Republic of China, Hong Kong, Germany and Brazil are the top ten importers of Indian goods. India has the third-largest standing army in the world.

India, besides being a member of almost all the leading international and regional organizations including the United Nations, the Group of Twenty (an international forum for the governments and central bank governors from twenty major economies), the World Trade Organization, the Commonwealth, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations and the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation, plays a vital role in the functioning of these forums. Hence, in all walks of life, especially socio-political and economic spheres, India maintains a strong position. Despite this, India is yet to regain its status of a Vishwaguru starting especially with leadership of Asia, the East.

For, Indians must safeguard their indigenous value systems as the first step towards the leadership of the East. Also, taking it as their sole responsibility, they need to uphold their basic sacraments. They must protect on priority their cultural tradition and heritage of which tolerance, harmony and Ahimsa are the baseline. These are the elements, which made India a mentor for the whole of Asia and the East in matters of socio-cultural, spiritual, educational and academic importance. Further, India has always been known for its commitment to global unity and universal welfare precisely because of these elements. The utmost need for these sacraments is more acute today than ever before in the annals of world history. On the basis of these values India can once again lead the world in all walks of life and regain the status of a Vishwaguru.      

India is a goldmine of youth-power. More than forty percent of India’s population is youth in the age group of 16-30 years. Hindustani youth are energetic, enthusiastic, skilful, talented, and rearing to go. The whole world acknowledges their calibre and rely on them, especially in technology, communications, and medical and computer sciences. Their sincerity, dedication to work, and spirit of responsibility is appreciated the world over. These unique qualities are inherent in their genes. These are their Samskaras. They have, in fact, received these distinctive qualities from Samskriti of their forefathers, the followers of the Sanatana values and the way of life –the Sanatana Dharma. This Samskriti is, indeed, development oriented, dynamic and inclusive, and calls for continuous innovation (नूतनैरुत –Nuutanairuta) as per the demands of time and space for the greater welfare of humanity. Therefore, if the youth of Hindustan care for the basic feature of the cultural legacy of their motherland, India’s influence on the world thought will multiply many folds. Bharat will, then, not only raise its flag over the whole of the East, but also become the Vishwaguru in the international community once again.