Hi Vinod, good read. Two points from me:

1) The Indian subcontinent has over many centuries(I think since Ashoka's times), cultivated and nurtured an environment for debate and arguments, which has been beautifully highlightd in Dr. Amartya Sen's 'The Arguementative Indian.'

This is the culture that tolerance has been bred out of., which as civilised people know is not a sign of weakness but of a larger understanding.

Is the ideology of the BJP and its foundation so weak and insecure that it cannot accept a different perspective of what was considered till now the 'absolute' truth?

2) In Goa, there are many families, who know of their Hindu names before they were converted by the Portuguese.

For example, the famous Braganza family of Chandor were Desais . Similarly, a friend, Noel Rodriguez, was a Shitondkar.

Here history is accepted as something that has happened, and that cannot be changed.

The local papers often print historical facts about Temples being razed and Churches being built in their place, but such write ups do not incite the general public (contrary to popular belief, the majority of Goans are Hindus).

The Portuguese are not demonised, neither do the Goans shy away from true occurences.

To think of a similar response from people in North India is to ask for the moon!

Jaswant Singh may have had his career terminated in the BJP, but I'm sure he is soon going to give birth to a new party.

I don't believe for a moment that his expulsion is something he did not anticipate.

He is too seasoned a politician to be taken unawares, and people like him plan so many moves in advance that Anand Vishwanathan and Gary Kasparov may learn a lesson or two from them!

Hi VInod, That is a very well written article. In it is said everything that I have always felt and known, but never been able to put across. Thank you for this post.
I was watching a TV interview once, that took place in the USA, of an Indian who had made it big. The interviewer asked the person, how he, a simple village boy from India succeeded in America, and could not do so in his county of birth. The NRI gave a very simple answer. "There are too many village boys in India. All of them are good."
To rise amidst mediocrity is not difficult. So, chasing the American dream is actually an easy way out rather than difficult, because the capabilities of the native Americans are far inferior to even our average ones.
AS you mentioned, for centuries, invaders have come to India lured by its material wealth.The most precious wealth, our minds, is something that they have never been able to take away. If people like you through your writings can remind them of their past and their potential, I'm sure we will soon be back, stronger, and invincible this time.
I however do not think we should aim for beating America or any other country, because what after that is done? The conquest I feel, should always be with oneself. That is the only path to continuous growth and progression