Living Through History

I will never forget the tears of redemption, the unrestrained joy and the surprised renewal of hope on people's faces throughout America on the night of Barack Obama's victory. It was an amazing time to be alive in the U.S. My generation, which started out with the label of the "Me Generation" had helped break what, till only a decade ago, had seemed an impossible barrier. The cynicism that I have become so accustomed to when it comes to politics was for the first time replaced by a moment of awe. Barack Obama may go on to become a great leader or he may disappoint, but the symbolism of his election to the U.S President's office will dramatically change American society forever.
At a time when America, my adopted country, seems to be healing its old racial wounds, it is ironic that India, the country of my birth, is witnessing a resurgence of narrow-minded politics as well as separatist and terrorist activity seeking to divide it on basis of caste, religion or region. I pray for a leader in India with the same transformative aura as Obama, who can lead them to not only a renewal of India's deep values of tolerance and pluralism, but also to a future beyond the old divisions. 2008 has been a truly historic year which may well be the watershed year for the transformation of an entire generation to one that cares about equality, meritocracy, the environment, and those less privileged than themselves. Rise my Indian brothers and sisters, and take this opportunity to take your nation to not just a new economic but a moral high as well!