Changing people's minds

Today the real problem in India is that most Indians have backward minds, full of casteism, communalism and superstitions. And it is this backwarness which is the root cause of our poverty and a host of other socio-economic problems.

It is relatively easy to change the environment. It is much more difficult to change people's minds. But without changing people's minds, we cannot change the environment.

Our people must modernize. But what is the meaning of being modern ? Being modern does not mean wearing a smart suit or jeans or fancy skirt. It means having a modern mind, which means a rational mind, a logical mind, a scientific mind, and a questioning mind.

The ancient Greeks questioned everything ( read the works of Plato and Aristotle ) and that is why they made such great progress in mathematics, science, etc. Similarly, many of our ancestors questioned everything ( see my blog on 'Sanskrit as a language of Science' and 'Indian Philosophy' ). The method of shastrartha was developed, which were debates in which the participants questioned each other before an assembly.

But before the minds of our masses is changed, the minds of our educated class has to be changed, and made truly modern. Intellectuals give leadership to society, because without intellectuals society is blind. Unfortunately most of our so called educated section of society is not truly educated, and so they are not genuine intellectuals. Their heads are crammed with bookish knowledge, without adequate reflection and questioning, and lacking creativity.

So my job is to educate the 'educated' in India. I do not have to educate the uneducated masses. I target the 'educated', and once they get truly educated, my job will be over, for then these truly educated intelligensia will educate the masses.