I don't think India needs to ape anyone. India will progress but at its own rate. We are far better than the world outside. 60 years after independance, America was immersed in a civil war, as far as India is concerned, it has done a lot of good work. We are India, which is the largest secular socialist repulic in the world. As far as economy is concerned, By 2012, we will be giving strong competition to China in Manufacturing. (Capgemini's consultant arm has predicted this)
