Tokyo 2020 was an Olympic Games of many firsts for India. The success of Team India at the Olympics is a reflection of how New India desires and aspires to dominate the world... even in sports.
There are really at least two Indias, there is an India or a shining India the one which the west seas usually through urbanize and there is an India outside some of the big metro policies and in even the tier two cities and in rural India which is completely different. It goes by the name of Bahar which is a traditional name for India.
There's a big difference between how the Anglo-Saxon world views India, or viewed India, and the way Europe views India.
We need efforts to integrate the nation, not divide it. The 2014 elections is about voting for India. It is to decide what kind of India we want to create. So Vote for India. Neither for a person, nor for a party, let us Vote for India.
The world expects India to be one of the leaders in solving the problems of politics and economics. India sits at the high table in most major multilateral deliberations. What India says is heard with attention and seriousness.
The world wants India to remain an import-based economy. Then India can be a dumping ground where gold can be dumped and other commodities such as oil and gas. They look at India as a huge market.
I want to explore a new place each year, and it can be within India. When I was shooting for 'Mohenjo Daro', I couldn't travel out of the country for two years. But it gave me an opportunity to explore new places within India. I'm sure there are so many places to explore in India, and I would love to go there.
We got to go one step further than even 'Make in India.' Let's make India itself - India 2.0, the updated version.
I returned to India because I believe in an India of honesty and hard work, not of corruption and crookedness. I believe in an India of openness and straightforwardness, not of hypocrisy and double-dealing. I believe in an India where opportunities are available to all, and not just to a chosen few.
Let Jammu and Kashmir lead the way in the building of a new future for India. Let it set an example to the rest of India and the world by showing how the entire region can be transformed into a zone of peace, stability and prosperity.
It is the pride to play for India that keeps me going. Not many get a chance to play for India and I feel very fortunate to be still playing. The will to do well for India is a big motivation.
There is not much awareness about fitness in India, unlike other countries. We don't get too many medals at Olympics; one of the reasons is we don't have that culture of fitness in India. That is why we decided to start this chain of gyms under my name.
In China, you just don't have the space for civil society and independent discourse and free media that you do in India. That's why India's success is so important as the world's largest democracy.
We dream of an India where development is the result of all Chief Ministers, the Prime Minister, state Ministers, Union Ministers working together with even Local Body Authorities as one team, a strong and united Team India.
India's way is not Europe's. India is not Calcutta and Bombay. India lives in her seven hundred thousand villages.
I believe in an India of pluralism and diversity, not of religious bigotry and caste politics. I believe in an India that is secure in itself and confident of its place in the world, an India that is a proud example of tolerance, freedom and hope for the downtrodden.
If you write a lovely story about India, you're criticized for selling an exotic version of India. And if you write critically about India, you're seen as portraying it in a negative light - it also seems to be a popular way to present India, sort of mangoes and beggars.