India is passing through a very tough time in terms of its national integrity. Indian Mujahideen - the indigenous Islamic group - has tried its best to wreck as much as it could with a very blatant attitude. And they tried their best to hire the top techies - Yahoo software employee - to help them out as well. Although a lot of gang members were caught, still the entire menace has not gone away. Series of blasts happened in Assam and IM again put their stamp on it. On the other hand, in Orissa and Karnata Hindu parties got into the act of attacking Christians after one Swami was killed by Maoists, who were ostensibly hired by the local Christian gang. The churches and priests, nuns etc. In some areas, the Christians retaliated and in some a local group brought out some provocative booklets which started more violence. If that was not enough, a few Hindus got together and detonated bombs in Maharashtra with a Lt Col. in the Indian Army being the main brain behind getting the explosives. There is another big issue that is being created by Raj Thackeray where he has grown to a point that he is very tough to stop now. He has set in motion a process that will surely lead to more violence and disintegration. What is happening in India? I think there are a few things going on: 1. The communal elements have gained strength on the back of totally unruly and absolutely unscrupulous elements. These elements have followed the path of doing whatever it takes to hold on to their seats. This was started with petty aims in sight.. but soon "manageable" and localized play of communal and caste violence was undertaken by the parties who prided themselves in the practice of secularism. As they did so, a precendence was set! 2. Ever since the independence, the majority community (a large number) has had a grievance which has been pooh-pooh'ed by the self appointed secularists. The secret trial of Nathuram Godse to obstruct any airing of the truth from his side and using him as a ploy to completely decimate Jan Sangh as a credible political power and thus creating a virtual dictatorship. In the years there-after, the history, the symbols and the curriculum of India was harmed beyond any semblance of objectivity! 3. From 1948's thoroughly incompetent handling of the fight back by the Indian Army from Srinagar, where Nehru placed more emphasis on the British General than the Indian head of Army at that time - to the freeing of 90,000 prisoners after the 1971 war and then letting Pakistan not only create the nuclear capability but also letting it create a mess of terrorism while we completely took the eye off from the major states and played politics with our own people! The fights with Pakistan and the related polarizaton of the population - specifically religious - and our leader's blind eye and apathy kept quietly creating and feeding an anger that was not visible on the surface but very deep seated!! Read more