The third landmark was the demolition of Babri Masjid. Here it must be said that the professional 'class' was more divided. A large number were shocked and horrified but only temporarily. It has not prevented most of them from eventually accommodating themselves in greater or lesser fashion to the forces of Hindutva and to its politics and ideology. Principled opposition to evil is not the hallmark of India's professionals.
Nuclear weapons are the closest thing to an absolute evil.
To endorse their possession, let alone to feel proud about them, is to make a profoundly revealing statement about one's own moral-social personality. Of course, all nuclear elites justify their positions in the name of nationalism and the competitive global power game. In short, if India is to progress towards a more decent, humane and morally respectful future, it can only do so despite, not because of, its professionals and 'middle class'.