What is it that keeps India ticking ?

For long, we just had our 5000-year-old culture, our heritage, our awe-inspiring traditions and our breathtaking landscapes to offer. Didn't mean much to an average American, or British, did it? But today, it's no longer difficult for us to explain the goodness in our country. From music to fashion, from cinema to art - the vibrant energy is there for all to feel. Today we have an A R Rahman rubbing shoulders with Andrew Lloyd Webber, Himesh Reshammiya performing to a one lakh-plus crowd at Wembley, actor Irrfan Khan smearing greasepaint alongside Angelina Jolie. We can boast of a Prasoon Joshi bringing home two Lions from Cannes, Aditya Chopra and Karan Johar taking to Western shores our jingoism-laden technicolour cinema. A Sania Mirza stirs as much controversy with her skirts as a Paris Hilton with her wild escapades. A designer label by Rajesh Pratap called 'Pratap' has a nervous Prada scurrying to his doors to alter the similar-sounding label. Shah Rukh Khan and Aishwarya Rai rock wherever they go, including Madame Tussauds. In short, it's no longer bindi and multani mitti packs that foreigners are buying from us. Young India is selling dreams - not only to zillions of its brethren but also to the West. When newspaper reports scream of a woman scrap dealer becoming a millionaire or a rickshaw puller's son topping the civil services, we know that India has arrived. These are stuff dreams are made of. If anybody were willing to wager a snap poll, pride and confidence in the nation would rank high with the average Indian. We may be a country, which is still a mess of antiquated procedures, with a slothful public sector and bureaucracy, but it doesn't deflate our egos or make us bury our heads ostrich-style. No, we are not trying to shrug off our Indian-ness in our rush to embrace global standards. "We are becoming modern but not Westernised. In fact, Indians are becoming more conscious of their identity as there's a new confidence to accept Indian-ness. Take our music, film, art, fashion - they are essentially Indian, showcasing India with a pride never seen before," says ad filmmaker and lyricist Prasoon Joshi. If we were to talk about our comfort level with our Indian-ness, what better than Hinglish- our own concoction of the Queen's dialect? Are we afraid of ending each oh-so-propah English sentence with a yaar? Nah! "Identities should be a healthy mix of both Indian values and Western culture. Today, there's a greater sense of confidence and optimism about India internationally than it was, say, a decade ago. The country's values are far more cherished today," says young parliamentarian Milind Deora. "Adding values is not bad as long as we don't lose our identity. But we also need not latch on to our values unnecessarily just because we are treading the path of a global superpower. The respect should come from within," explains Milind. Does the feeling come from deep within? "Being an Indian gives me strength. It makes me feel rooted," says Prasoon. The sense of pride that polo champion Angad Kalaan felt when the Indian national anthem played in the World Cup is inexplicable. "It was a proud moment. In fact, I love to flaunt my Indian roots when I compete abroad," he beams. If love's in their heart, it's in their craft too. "I've tried to weave in 100 per cent Indian-ness in my couture. To go global we need to address our roots," says designer Sabyasachi Mukherjee, whose designs have graced the New York and London Fashion Week. "Everybody wants to make a mark. To regret being part of the heritage means losing out in a crowd. It makes us wannabes," he emphasises. "The whole world is looking at India. Those who shrug off their Indian roots lack self-confidence and belief," says Prasoon. Why shy? India's never looked this charismatic and energetic before. And our new slogan is 'chakk de India'.