That set the stage for our moral crusade. But we were not just heroic. We were realists. It is this transition from Nehruvian idealism to global pragmatism that needs to be emphasised. It is like switching from the old Ambassador car to the new Maruti.
Morality is now more slick, mobile and profitable.
Implied in this is a sense that mere goodness is weak, that good guys are dead guys. What one needs are good guys with nuclear sharp shooters. Acquire the nuclear colt, look the enemy dead in the eye and talk of a nuclear free world. Peace is what tough guys understand. Suddenly every Indian feels a nuclear bulge in his biceps.