If we dispense with some of our self-made boundaries, India can really take its place in the world as an economic power.It hasn't happened because we, sadly, don't look at ourselves as Indians but as Punjabis or Parsis, unlike the Americans. Don't make such boundaries.

The country is now universally recognised as a nation on the move and takes its place amongst the successful economies in the region. The future potential is enormous but the country's destiny is in our hands. The time has come to move from small increments to bold, large initiatives. The time has come to stretch the envelope and set goals which were earlier not seen to be possible. The time has come for performance to be measured and for allocated funds of the government to reach the people for whom they were intended.

India has probably lost its position to China as the world's workshop. At the same time it has the power to be ahead of China when it comes to knowledge. Not that the Chinese are far behind. They will get there. But our challenge is to invest sufficiently in education.

After Independence, Congress ignored the potential of India, which is why even 6-7 decades later, the country could not achieve the success it deserved. There were two main reasons: for a long time, the Congress government kept the country entangled in a 'license raj', and when globalisation arrived, they focused only on imports and even then misappropriated thousands of crores.

I've often felt that the Indian tiger has not been unleashed.

I am proud of my country. But we need to unite to make a unified India, free of communalism and casteism. We need to build India into a land of equal opportunity for all. We can be a truly great nation if we set our sights high and deliver to the people the fruits of continued growth, prosperity and equal opportunity.