Is India really shining? After independence we made many big highways but our minds are getting narrow. We made many fancy buildings but our families are getting smaller and smaller. Knowledge is increasing but wisdom is decreasing. Today we have multiple possessions but values are on the wane. If this is India's growth story then definitely we are growing - but in the wrong direction.

Growth is what every country desires but in a country haunted by hunger, population explosion and poverty, economic growth in numbers alone does not mean much.

In the recent PM’s interaction with the media, he said growth rate of India in 2010 was 8.5 per cent. But the question how is growth being achieved? About inflation and corruption he was clueless and again gave some excuses.

In India there is a huge gap between the urban and rural people, the rich and poor, and the educated and illiterate sections. The country has been struggling for years to deal with prolonged domestic problems and persistent regional tensions. Corruption is increasing day by day but if our representatives are clueless then how can we say that we are growing.

If we are not able to solve the problem in our own states such as Jammu and Kashmir, how can we have a good relationship with the other countries?  And our North-East states feel that they are separated from India.

All these questions question the very right of calling India as shining or rising..