Rome did not fall in a day
Some of the most popular video clips shared on social media in India in the recent past were of India’s External Affair Minister, Mr. S. Jaishankar, giving stern replies to the global media about India’s stand on Russia-Ukraine war. In these clips, the minister is seen ‘exposing’, the hypocrisy of European media and politicians in raising questions over India’s purchase of energy from Russia, despite sanctions imposed by US and EU, while the European countries continue to buy natural gas from Russia. Most social media constituents who shared these clips cited the confident and unabashed counteroffensive by the Indian minister as a harbinger of ‘rising India’ and ‘declining west’. I personally have no disputes with the social media warriors on this issue. It does feel good to see a representative of the Indian government taking a firm stand against the developed nations on global platforms. However, the point I am presently more concerned about is ‘declining west’. Worsening d...