India, July 6 -- Former Union Finance Minister P Chidambaram, in an article published in The Indian Express (June 28, 2026), wrote, "Five trends will determine the future of India." Reading his article prompts an important question: Is India drifting towards a regressive society?
India's freedom fighters, especially Jawaharlal Nehru, envisioned building a modern, progressive, democratic, and self-reliant nation. His vision was anchored in democratic socialism, secularism, scientific temper, industrial development, and non-alignment. The objective was to lift millions out of poverty while preserving India's pluralistic character. In such a society, there would be no place for discrimination based on caste, religion, creed, gender, or cl...