This piece seeks to expose a key contradiction between form and substance — between aspiration, machinations, desperation, incompetence, and incoherence — evident among our eastern neighbours, and is not polemical. Recent events have thrown these elements and contradictions into sharp relief, necessitating a deep dive into their mindset and increasingly radicalised diaspora.

We also see how a sense of entitlement has created cognitive dissonance, where the causal link between actions and consequences is denied or ignored, feeding into a sense of ambush and victimhood.

First, let me spell out a few caveats. I do not relish any nation's humiliation or misery, even if self-inflicted. My choice of title reflects my frustration with the pack of contradictions today's India has become, rather than being motivated by calumny. Two, you do not need to remind me of my nationality.

Today, we talk about India, yet I can be just as critical of my own homeland. Third, the proof of the pudding is in my theoretical framework. As an ardent follower of Karl Popper, I can say that what dismays me in India is elemental, not prejudicial.

Every culture can have utopian visions and theories about historical destiny. Those specific patterns worry me universally because they justify present suffering for supposed future benefits — often resulting in cruelty. Let's begin.

India today calls itself a civilisational state. This is pure gibberish outside Toynbee or Huntington's political spin on such terms. Look at the term's etymological journey: Civitas (Latin): city-state, citizenship; Civilitas (Latin): civility, refinement, courtesy; Civiliser (French): to civilise, to refine; Civilisation (French, 18th century): the process of becoming civilised. Huntington's assertion........

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