If you have to rely on the triumphs of others to feel good about yourself, if you need the deeds of others to find personal validation, then the problem lies within you.
There is a new India being weaned. An India that happily waves its chubby little hands and legs at the shiny objects—Philip Kotler awards, photoshopped images of Daddy surrounded by admiring world leaders or decked out in military fatigues and standing in the turret of a battle tank—dangled over its crib.
Myths about a glorious past are its preferred bedtime stories; the promise of a return to that imaginary past pacifies its occasional tantrums and lulls it into soporific stupor. The result is an inbred sense of entitlement; a belief that we were, and continue to be, the best at …
Prem Panicker has been a journalist for over 30 years. From daily newspapers to weekly magazines and digital news portals—he was one of the seven journalists who were part of the Rediff.com start-up team—he has written and edited features extensively across mediums and publications. Since quitting his job at Yahoo in 2014, he has been working as a freelance writer and editor, as well as teaching narrative journalism.
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