Our beloved India is a great nation, indeed. Even when a smart bureaucrat called Amitabh Kant had not branded it as Incredible India, the fact remains that in an era of global village, India is gaining a position of importance at an incredible pace!

Now is the time where nothing is 'out of reach' for Indians! The rich and famous are enjoying more and more luxuries of life, never before so easy and accessible. Now is the time when Bentley can launch a car, worth rupees three crores – and expect sales! Mont Blanc has launched a Limited Edition Mahatma Gandhi pen with only 241 pieces in white and yellow solid gold, priced in excess of rupees ten lacs! I am told; this exorbitantly priced pen – named after an icon of simplicity - is in great demand!

When I think about the ever-changing scenario, I often feel worried. Because, I am afraid, we are adopting 'wrongs' more quickly than the 'rights' from western countries under the pretext of one-upmanship! We want a five-day week but in five days, we are not ready to work like the westerners do! We enjoy night life at the cost of life itself! Our personal disposable income has risen, but that has given rise to almost everything which is disposable, right from camera to cell phone to old parents!

No wonder, in this fast-paced 'westernized' life where the difference between 'price' and 'value' is submerged, the society will have to pay a heavy price. Thanks to the ever-increasing consumerism, our youth are falling in the trap of lifestyle diseases like depression, diabetes or cardiac problems. As per a recent study, heart attacks are getting common amongst those in their 20s and 30s! This, I think, is an alarming sign for the health of a nation, which is running a blind race for wealth! I think it is the 'price' we are paying for the erosion of our 'values'!!

At the same time, I feel that voices like these are becoming more and more extinct. So, let us pray with Mahatma Gandhi – sabko sanmati de bhagwan…