India Could Be a Superpower—If Only Indians Stopped Fighting Each Other

A nation poised for greatness, held back by its own hands. There’s a version of India that the world fears. A version that is united, focused, and relentless. A version that takes its rich history, its unmatched talent, and its sheer force of numbers and turns them into a superpower unlike anything the world has ever seen. But that’s not the India we live in today. Not yet. Instead, we live in an India where potential is squandered in petty fights, where progress is stalled by division, and where the energy that could be building an empire is wasted proving who is right—even when being right does nothing to move us forward. It’s a tragedy, really. Because we have everything we need to lead the world. We have the minds, the hands, the resources, the hunger. What we don’t have is the ability to get out of our own way. And that, more than any external force, is what keeps us from greatness.


Think about it. If someone summed you up in just one word, would it feel true? Or would it feel like an injustice? Would you, in all your complexity, your struggles, your dreams, and your lived experiences, be content to be defined by one narrow trait? Of course not. No one would. And yet, we do this to others all the time—without even realizing it. The South Indian is not just their idli. The Bihari is not just their labor. The Bengali is not just their mysticism. You see a Muslim and don’t acknowledge the millions who have fought for this country, defended its borders, and contributed to its progress in every imaginable way. These are cultures that have built nations, produced world-class scholars, written revolutions into history, and changed the very fabric of our world. To take all of that and reduce it to a single cliché isn’t just ignorant—it’s tragic.


It’s easy to blame outsiders for our struggles. Colonialism, geopolitics, global competition—yes, they have all played their part. But today, the biggest obstacle in India’s path isn’t another country. It’s the fact that we cannot agree on a common direction to move in. We fight over language. We fight over religion. We fight over caste, region, ideology. We fight over who deserves success and who should be held back. And in all of this, we forget that while we fight, others build.
Look at China. Look at the United States. Look at any nation that has risen to dominance. They have their internal struggles, yes. But they do not let those struggles consume their national ambition. India, on the other hand, gets caught in a cycle of distraction. We pour our energy into proving points instead of proving results. We take pride in resistance when we should take pride in resilience. We get so caught up in being different from each other that we forget we are part of the same whole. And the cost? Progress delayed. Opportunities lost. A future that should already be here, but isn’t.


India is not waiting to become great. India is great. But it is not yet powerful. And there is a difference. Powerful nations shape the world. They dictate terms. They protect their own. They lift their people. And we are on the edge of being that nation. But only if we stop mistaking motion for progress. Only if we understand that a billion people moving in a hundred directions is not strength—it’s chaos. The truth is simple: India will rise when Indians decide that the future matters more than the past. When being one matters more than being right.
This is not about ignoring differences. It is about understanding that no difference is more important than the destiny of a nation. We can continue as we are—brilliant, but unfocused. Or we can become something else. Something greater. Something unstoppable. The world is watching. The future is waiting. The only question is—will we take it?