Addressing poverty, authoritarianism, communalism, and ecological degradation must take precedence over “lofty planning” exercises in India as the country approaches its centenary of Independence, noted political thinker Professor Pratap Bhanu Mehta said on Sunday.
Delivering the D.S. Borker Lecture on ‘My Vision of India: 2047 A.D.’ at an event chaired by renowned journalist Harish Khare, Prof. Mehta cautioned against complacency in imagining the nation’s future. He observed that while multiple ‘Vision 2047’ blueprints already exist, they often overlook pressing challenges.
Prof. Mehta outlined three guiding perspectives: relieving human suffering, attaining developed nation status through visionary leadership, and upholding constitutional values of liberty, equality, and fraternity.
Elaborate plans are inadequate if issues such as poverty, communalism, authoritarianism, and ecological devastation remain unaddressed, he said.
A major concern raised was the collapse of sincerity, shared facts, and reasoned debate in civic life.
‘Single greatest assault’
Terming the rise of Hindutva nationalism in the country the “single greatest assault”, Prof. Mehta said it shrinks India’s universal civilisational identity into an ethnic framework and discards its universal spiritual codes.
Published – August 25, 2025 01:37 am IST
