India Ranks 118. Pakistan 109. Saudi Arabia 32. The World Happiness Report 2025 Is a Western Fraud Designed to Humiliate Nations Like India.
- Dr. Deepessh Divaakaran
- Mar 26
- 19 min read
Updated: Apr 1
Backed by shady networks, flawed sampling, and Western bias — this isn’t research, it’s narrative control. It’s time India stops playing along and starts questioning who really benefits from these global rankings.
Every year, the World Happiness Report dominates global headlines, shaping opinions and fuelling narratives — especially in nations like India.
But what if the rankings are deeply flawed? What if they reflect not universal truths, but selective bias?
This article uncovers the hidden gaps, the Western lens, and the unscientific sampling that fuels the 2025 Happiness Index.
It contrasts their surface-level scoring with India’s hard data, civilizational strength, and cultural depth — offering a bold, unapologetic response to a system that ranks war-torn and autocratic countries above the world’s largest democracy.
If you’ve ever felt something was off…You were right.
Let’s show you why.
1. The Year I Decided To Dig The World Happiness Report 2025
It began with a conversation I wish I didn’t have.
A bright young Indian — educated, driven, full of potential — sat across from me and said, “I don’t see a future here.
India ranks so low on the Happiness Index. Even countries at war are apparently ‘happier.’
What’s left to hope for?”
He wasn’t angry.
He was resigned.
And that hit harder than outrage ever could.
I’ve heard this before, murmured in frustration or shared in passing. But this time, it stayed with me.
Because while we debate GDP and development, here was someone willing to leave behind their roots — based on a headline.
And no one seemed to question the headline itself.
So I made a decision.
No rants. No blind nationalism.
Just one thing: dig deeper.
I set aside 48 hours.
Shut out distractions.
And opened spreadsheets, global databases, conflict archives, and government sources.
If they were going to rank my country as “unhappy,” I needed to see the full picture.
Not just how we were ranked, but how they calculated it.
What I found left me stunned.
This wasn’t just about bias.
This was about a system so disconnected from our culture, our complexity, and our civilizational soul, it couldn’t possibly understand what happiness means to us.
And yet… it gets global headlines.
Even our own media parrots it.
And our youth begin to believe it.
So I knew I had to speak.
2. The Dangerous Flaws They Don’t Want You to See
The first thing I uncovered was jaw-dropping — not because it was hidden, but because no one bothered to question it.
The World Happiness Report, which ranks countries like Finland at the top and India at 118, is based primarily on one thing:
A subjective survey of just 1,000 people per country.
Yes, you read that right.
1,000 individuals. Representing entire nations like India.
Whether the country has 10 million people or 1.4 billion like India, the sample size remains the same.
That’s 0.00007% of India’s population.
Statistically laughable.
Methodologically absurd.
And the tool they use?
A simple question known as the Cantril Ladder:
“Imagine a ladder from 0 to 10. The top of the ladder represents the best possible life for you. The bottom represents the worst possible life. On which step do you personally feel you stand at this time?”
This single question — asked over the phone, often in cities, without accounting for rural voices, cultural perspectives, income class, or spiritual worldview — becomes the anchor of our national happiness score.
No verification.
No cross-referencing.
No accountability.
Yet this data gets rolled up, weighted with vague variables, averaged across 3 years, and then blasted across global media as the gospel truth of a nation’s emotional wellbeing.
Is this science?
Or is this narrative engineering?
And worse — why do our own institutions, influencers, and media accept it blindly without asking even the most basic questions?
If this is the standard for “happiness,” then perhaps the real unhappiness lies in how low the bar has been set.
4. Why I Chose These 24 Countries: The Bias Behind the Benchmark
To make this study meaningful, I didn’t just cherry-pick data.
I carefully selected 24 countries ranked higher than India — and they fall into two very revealing categories.
Category 1: The Nordic Bubble
Finland (Rank 1)
Denmark (Rank 2)
Iceland (Rank 3)
Sweden (Rank 4)
Netherlands (Rank 5)
These countries are small, homogenous welfare states, with populations ranging from a few hundred thousand to 17 million.
They enjoy cold climates, centralized public systems, and relatively low diversity.
And every year — without fail — they sit at the top.
These nations are not just ranked high — they have become the model for the rest of the world.
Their benchmarks are treated as universal truths. But let’s be honest:
Can a country like India — with 1.4 billion people, 22 major languages, 7 major religions, and over 2 million religious sites — be measured by the same yardstick as Iceland, population 370,000?
The comparison is not just flawed.
It’s intellectually lazy and deeply unjust.
Category 2: Countries in Conflict
The second group I chose includes 19 nations that are either:
Actively involved in war,
Suffering from civil unrest,
Battling terrorism or insurgency, or
Under authoritarian regimes.
Yet, they all rank higher than India on the Happiness Index.
Data arranged in Descending Order of 'Estimated Deaths'
Country Considered for This Research | Happiness Rank | Major Conflict (Last 5 Years) | Estimated Deaths |
Ukraine | 111 | Russia-Ukraine War | 350,000+ |
Mexico | 25 | Drug Cartel Violence | 175,000+ |
Israel | 8 | Gaza Conflict, War | 35,000+ |
Nigeria | 105 | Boko Haram, Ethnic Clashes | 25,000+ |
Saudi Arabia | 28 | Involvement in Yemen War | 20,000+ |
Pakistan | 109 | Terrorism, Political Unrest | 15,000+ |
El Salvador | 33 | Gang Wars, Militarized Policing | 15,000+ |
Turkey | 98 | Kurdish Conflict, Political Repression | 10,000+ |
Colombia | 49 | Guerrilla Insurgency, Drug War | 12,000+ |
Iraq | 99 | Sectarian Conflict, IS Insurgency | 20,000+ |
Armenia | 86 | Armenia-Azerbaijan War | 7,000+ |
Azerbaijan | 107 | Armed Clashes with Armenia | 6,000+ |
Cameroon | 101 | Anglophone Secession Crisis | 6,000+ |
Honduras | 58 | Violent Crime, Gang War | 9,000+ |
Ecuador | 56 | Drug Trafficking, Prison Massacres | 5,000+ |
Thailand | 44 | Political Crisis, Insurgency in South | 5,000+ |
Indonesia | 80 | Papuan Separatist Violence | 3,000+ |
Iraq | 99 | Ongoing Conflict, Displacement | 20,000+ |
Uganda | 113 | Political Repression, Tribal Tensions | 3,000+ |
And India?
A democratic republic.
No war.
No external military conflict.
3,000 fatalities in 5 years (mostly due to isolated insurgencies).
Yet ranked 118 — lower than all of the above.
What Are We Comparing, Really?
How does a war-ravaged, trauma-soaked, politically unstable region get branded “happier” than a civilization that’s still healing, growing, and lifting millions out of poverty every year?
How do Nordic countries become the template, when their societies bear no resemblance to ours?
The answer isn’t scientific. It’s ideological.
Their model has been set as the standard — and we’re all being graded on how well we mimic it.
India was never invited to define happiness.
We were just told how it should look.
And that’s where I drew the line.
5. Why We Chose Hard Metrics: Building a Better Lens for Happiness
If they could rank India with 1,000 people and one survey question,
I decided to try something different: data that actually tells a story.
The World Happiness Report claims to use six core parameters:
GDP per capita
Social support
Healthy life expectancy
Freedom to make life choices
Generosity
Perceptions of corruption
But here’s the problem — none of these are measured with actual depth.
They rely on self-reported opinions, perceptions, and inconsistently gathered survey responses.
So I asked myself:
What if we used real numbers? What if we grounded these six categories in objective, globally accepted metrics?
That’s exactly what I did.
The 17 Hard Metrics I Used — and Why
Each one was selected to reflect real-life wellbeing, directly or indirectly tied to their six parameters. Here's how:
1. Total Population (millions)
Why it matters: Measuring 1,000 people in a population of 10 million is one thing. Doing the same for 1.4 billion is statistical malpractice.
Tied to: Freedom, Social Support
A high population demands deeper governance systems, social cohesion, and freedom at scale.
2. Total GDP (USD billions)
Why it matters: A nation’s productivity and economic strength isn't captured by per capita income alone.
Tied to: GDP per capita, Generosity, Freedom
India is among the world’s top 5 economies by total GDP — but this is ignored.
3. GDP per Capita (USD)
Why it matters: Included for alignment, but taken in context — not isolation.
Tied to: GDP per capita (directly)
4. Estimated Number of Religious Sites
Why it matters: Reflects deep cultural infrastructure that promotes charity, community meals, shelter, and spiritual belonging.
Tied to: Generosity, Social Support
India’s 2 million+ active religious sites offer support on a scale no government can match.
5. Major Languages Spoken
Why it matters: Linguistic diversity reflects inclusive governance and social resilience.
Tied to: Social Support, Freedom
6. Major Religions Practiced
Why it matters: Religious pluralism fosters coexistence and moral frameworks for generosity and support.
Tied to: Generosity, Social Support
7. Divorce Rate (per 1,000 people)
Why it matters: Family stability is a key driver of emotional support systems.
Tied to: Social Support
India’s divorce rate of 0.1 is among the lowest globally.
8. Life Expectancy at Birth (Years)
Why it matters: An undisputed measure of healthcare success and societal wellness.
Tied to: Healthy Life Expectancy
9. Type of Government
Why it matters: Democracy offers citizens the freedom to shape their future.
Tied to: Freedom
India remains the world’s largest functional democracy.
10. Government Based on Religion
Why it matters: Secular systems promote equality, inclusiveness, and protect freedoms.
Tied to: Freedom, Social Support
11. CPI Score (Corruption Perception Index)
Why it matters: Perception-based, yes — but still a global standard.
Tied to: Perceptions of Corruption
12. Population (Used for Scaling)
Why it matters: Essential to normalize perception-based metrics like corruption across large populations.
13. Corruption Burden per Person
Why it matters: Converts abstract corruption perception into a tangible, fair metric.
Tied to: Perceptions of Corruption
India’s burden is 4.3e-8. Countries like Ukraine and Nigeria are orders of magnitude worse.
14. Corruption Burden Rank
Why it matters: Ranks nations on adjusted corruption — per citizen, not per narrative.
15. Major Conflict(s)
Why it matters: Active conflict significantly affects happiness, freedom, and social trust.
Tied to: Healthy Life Expectancy, Freedom, Social Support
16. Estimated Fatalities (Last 5 Years)
Why it matters: The cost of war and violence is the antithesis of wellbeing.
Tied to: Healthy Life Expectancy
17. Crude Death Rate (per 1,000 people)
Why it matters: An honest look at mortality, aging, and healthcare.
The Result?
When we use these metrics — drawn from the World Bank, IMF, CIA World Factbook, UCDP, and Transparency International — a very different story emerges.
India, by many of these hard standards, is not just “doing okay.”
It is outperforming several countries ranked significantly higher on the World Happiness Index — including those at war, under dictatorship, or dealing with economic collapse.
Because happiness is not a ladder.
It’s a lifestyle rooted in stability, family, freedom, and purpose.
And that can’t be captured in a 10-point scale answered over a phone call.
6. Who’s Behind the Happiness Score? A Look at the Organization, Origins & Bias
When a report dominates global headlines and is labelled as the “UN’s Happiness Index”, you assume it’s legit.
Backed by global consensus.
Structured, accountable, and official.
But here’s what most people — including policymakers, journalists, and educators — don’t know:
The World Happiness Report is not an official United Nations ranking. It is a privately steered, Western-funded academic initiative wrapped in UN-sounding language and visuals.
Let’s peel back the layers.
The Publisher: UN SDSN — A Clever Play on Words
The report is published by the UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network (SDSN) — sounds official, right?
But look closer:
The domain is ussdsn.org, not a UN domain.
Why? To appear official, but stay unaudited.
The logo includes a deceptive caption:
“A Global Initiative for the United Nations” Which sounds like it’s by the UN.
But what it actually says is — “for”, not “of”.
A clever play of prepositions meant to deceive the casual reader.
It’s not “A United Nations Organization for Global Happiness.”
It’s a privately led initiative claiming proximity to the UN, but with no member-state consensus or democratic oversight.
The Fine Print: Who Actually Runs SDSN?
Hidden in their About Us page, it states:
“The UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network (SDSN) works under the auspices of the 'UN Secretary-General…”
Sounds powerful — but here’s the truth:
They are referring to the former UN Secretary-General, Ban Ki-Moon.
The initiative was established in 2012, during his tenure.
Today, it continues under that legacy — not under active UN General Assembly or Security Council supervision.
Ban Ki-Moon no longer holds office. And yet, his title is used ambiguously — just enough to create an illusion of current authority.
Let that sink in: A global happiness ranking…Built by a non-UN body, promoted as if it were UN gospel.
Who Funds the Report?
Now ask — if not the UN, then who’s paying?
The list includes:
The Ernesto Illy Foundation
Fondazione IPSOS
Gallup Organization (also collects and owns the survey data)
The Hewlett Foundation
The Rockefeller Foundation
Every one of these institutions is rooted in Western, elite networks.
None represent the cultural, economic, or spiritual diversity of the Global South.
How They "Measure" Happiness
A single question survey: the Cantril Ladder
Sample size: 1,000 people per country, regardless of population
Collected via telephone or digital platforms — leaving rural, poor, and non-English-speaking populations unheard
Subjective response on a scale from 0 to 10 — with no context of environment, community, or cultural meaning
From that, they derive a nation’s happiness score.
And combine it with GDP, corruption perception, and vague generosity indicators — all derived from Western-dominated databases.
Then… the list is published.
The headlines follow.
The damage is done.
The Illusion of Legitimacy
Through domain names like ussdsn.org, ambiguous logo phrasing, and use of phrases like “UN-affiliated” or “under the auspices of,” they construct a narrative.
It’s not accidental.
It’s not coincidental.
It’s strategic branding designed to make their report appear globally sanctioned — when in truth, no country ever voted to be ranked this way.
Why This Matters
Because it’s not just about a report. It’s about what we let define us.
When our media amplifies these rankings without question…
When our citizens feel ashamed of being Indian based on a flawed score…
When our policymakers start chasing Western models instead of reflecting on Indian wisdom…
That’s when the real damage is done.
Not by war.
Not by economy.
But by perception.
And that perception was engineered — not earned.
7. Our Deep Dive: India vs 24 Countries — The Data They Don’t Want You to See
Enough theory. Let’s get into facts.
While the so-called “Happiness Experts” were busy dialling 1,000 people per country, we did something radical —We looked at the actual data.
Using 17 hard, globally recognized indicators, we compared India with 24 countries ranked higher than it in the 2025 Happiness Index.
These include the top 5 Nordic nations and 19 others battling war, instability, or serious contradictions.
The findings were not just surprising —They were undeniable.
Where India Outshines Higher-Ranked Nations
Total GDP: India’s $3.3 trillion GDP surpasses Mexico, Indonesia, and even many European nations.
Religious Generosity: India has over 2 million religious sites, compared to Iceland’s 350 and Israel’s 10,000 — showing cultural infrastructure that fuels service, support, and resilience.
Family Stability: India’s divorce rate of 0.1 per 1,000 people is the lowest in the dataset — reflecting deep-rooted emotional ecosystems.
Cultural Diversity: With 22 major languages and 7 religions, India leads in pluralism — a key social fabric metric no survey captures.
Corruption Burden (Per Capita): India’s adjusted burden is 4.3e-08, far lower than nations like Ukraine (1.55e-06), Nigeria (3.16e-07), and Pakistan (3.20e-07).
Conflict Deaths: India had 3,000 deaths in the last 5 years — compared to Ukraine (350,000), Mexico (175,000), and Nigeria (25,000).
Life Expectancy: India’s 70.42 years outperforms several others that are still ranked higher.
Secular, Democratic Governance: India is a federal parliamentary republic with 900M+ voters, while many higher-ranked nations operate under monarchies, religious states, or authoritarian structures.
India's Top 50 temples alone generate over $1.9 billion annually which is equal to some nations GDP — funding education, healthcare, and service programs.
India – the only secular, federal parliamentary democracy in this list – is ranked 118.
Meanwhile, countries enforcing religion through law, suppressing opposition, or ruled by monarchs rank much higher.
Is this happiness or hypocrisy?
So What Does This Mean?
It means that when we stop measuring perception, and start looking at performance, India tells a different story.
Not a perfect story.
But a powerful one.
One of scale, stability, generosity, resilience — and rising systems that are deeply Indian, not imported.
Yet somehow, 24 countries with more conflict, fewer freedoms, smaller economies, and weaker institutions…Rank higher.
This isn’t just unfair.
It’s dishonest.
And we’ve put the evidence on the table.
But Where Did This Data Come From?
We didn’t rely on “gut feel.”
Every metric we used was chosen for its objectivity, availability, and global credibility.
Here’s how each of the 17 Hard Metrics was sourced or computed:
Metric | Definition / Source |
Total Population (millions) | Latest available data from World Bank, UN DESA, and national census boards |
Total GDP (USD billions) | World Bank, IMF, and Trading Economics reports (nominal GDP figures) |
GDP per Capita (USD) | Derived from GDP ÷ Population, cross-verified with World Bank |
Estimated Number of Religious Sites | Compiled via cultural ministries, NGO databases, and credible religious census studies |
Major Languages Spoken | Based on Ethnologue, CIA World Factbook, and national linguistic data |
Major Religions Practiced | Based on Pew Research, UNESCO, and verified national census sources |
Divorce Rate (per 1,000 people) | Gathered from national family welfare statistics and OECD data (where available) |
Life Expectancy at Birth (Years) | World Bank, WHO Global Health Observatory |
Type of Government | Classified using CIA World Factbook, Inter-Parliamentary Union, and Freedom House |
Government Based on Religion | Derived from national constitutions, state religion declarations, and legal frameworks |
CPI Score | The Corruption Perception Index (2024) from Transparency International |
Population (Millions) | Repeated for normalization in corruption and GDP calculations |
Corruption Burden per Person | Computed as: (100 - CPI Score) ÷ Total Population |
Corruption Burden Rank | Ranked among the 25 countries using above per capita corruption load (Higher the Better) |
Major Conflict(s) | Classified based on data from UCDP, ACLED, and Global Conflict Tracker |
Estimated Fatalities (Last 5 Years) | Sourced from verified conflict databases, UNHCR reports, and major NGO whitepapers |
Crude Death Rate (per 1,000 people) | From UN World Population Prospects, World Bank, and CIA World Factbook |
This was not a tweet thread.
This was a research-backed attempt to reclaim our truth, our voice, and our story — with evidence that speaks louder than emotion.
Now that the facts are clear, we can talk about the one thing they never measure:
What truly makes India happy.
(And that takes us into Section 8.)
For complete transparency, you can view our raw comparative dataset here — titled India_vs_24_Global_Countries_Hard_Metrics_Comparison — which contains all 17 data points we used to benchmark India against 24 higher-ranked nations in the World Happiness Report 2025.
8. They Miss What Makes Us Truly Strong
You can’t measure a banyan tree with a ruler.
And yet, every year, they try.
They rank India using scales made for snow-covered countries with five million people and two languages.
And in doing so, they miss the very things that make us strong.
Family: Our First Social Security System
Where they see co-dependency, we see intergenerational strength.
In a world where loneliness is a public health crisis, India still thrives on joint families.
Three generations sharing one roof isn’t a burden — it’s emotional wealth.
We care for our elders not because policy tells us to, but because parampara (tradition) flows in our veins.
That’s social support.
But it doesn’t show up on Gallup’s call logs.
Faith & Generosity: A Spiritual Economy
In India, faith isn’t private. It feeds people. Heals them. Uplifts them.
2 million+ religious sites serve as shelters, kitchens, classrooms, and counselling centres.
The Top 50 temples alone generate over $1.9 billion annually — funding education, healthcare, and service programs.
Millions donate, volunteer, and serve without expecting a receipt — or a happiness score.
That’s generosity.
But it doesn’t come with a tax exemption form — so it’s invisible to their metrics.
Pluralism: Not Tolerance, but Celebration
India is not a melting pot — we’re a symphony.
7 major religions,
22 scheduled languages,
And countless festivals, dialects, cuisines, and customs — coexisting every day.
It’s not always perfect.
But our pluralism isn’t a project.
It’s a way of life.
And that’s resilience born from civilization, not legislation.
That’s social cohesion. But it’s not measured in their happiness ladder.
Inner Happiness > Outer Indicators
Our ancestors taught us that true happiness is ananda — inner bliss.
Not the pursuit of possessions, but the realization of purpose.
This land produced:
The Yoga Sutras before wellness apps
The Bhagavad Gita before therapy models
And the idea that you are not the body or mind, but the eternal self
That’s spiritual literacy — something modern indices can’t even begin to quantify.
The Truth Is This:
You can’t rank Bharat (the name that is etched in Article 1 of our Holy Constitution), using Western frameworks.
Because we are not just a country.
We are a civilizational ecosystem — of philosophy, plurality, family, devotion, and dharma.
They can’t see it.
Because they’ve never stood in a village where 5 families share food.
Or watched three generations light the same diya or lamp.
Or seen a widow being fed in a temple / Church / Mosque / Langar before she asks.
That’s India. Unmeasured. Unranked. Unbreakable.
9. The Real Bias Is This: They Measure Themselves. Not the World.
Let’s stop pretending this is about happiness.
This is about how well you conform.
The World Happiness Index wasn’t built to understand the world —
It was built to benchmark the world against the West.
And that’s the real bias:
They’re not measuring happiness. They’re measuring similarity. How well your culture, economy, and governance mimic theirs.
If you live in a Nordic country with:
A small population
One language
A secular public life
High taxes funding universal benefits
Limited religious activity
Minimal diversity
Congratulations.
You’re at the top of the happiness list.
But if you come from:
A multilingual, spiritual, family-centric society
A nation rebuilding from colonial exploitation
A culture that sees collective joy over individual freedom
A history that values inner stillness over outer indicators
You’re marked down.
Automatically.
They Don’t Account for Our Strengths — They Penalize Them
Joint families? → “You lack independence.”
Religious giving? → “No official record, so doesn’t count.”
Low divorce rates? → “Maybe you don’t have enough rights.”
Spiritual fulfilment? → “Can’t quantify it, so it must not exist.”
They assume their definition of wellbeing is universal.
And every other culture is either behind… or broken.
But here’s the irony:
Many of the countries ranked higher than India are:
At war
Authoritarian
Facing mass migration, drug violence, or political suppression
Yet they still score better…
Because the model doesn’t ask whether people are safe.
It asks whether they feel like they’re living a “better life.”
In their terms.
Mimic or Be Marginalized
So here’s the quiet rule behind the index:
“Be like us, and we’ll call you happy.”
If you fit their mould, you climb the ladder.
If you don’t, you stay “developing” — no matter how ancient, wise, or rooted you are.
This isn’t global benchmarking.
This is cultural narcissism dressed as data.
Time to Push Back
Let’s stop calling this “research.”
Let’s call it what it is: metric colonialism.
And let’s stop bending our values to fit their checklists.
Because the world doesn’t need another Europe.
It needs more civilizations willing to be themselves,
Speak their truth,
And say: “We will no longer be ranked by your reflection.”
10. What We Should Measure Instead
If happiness is a measure of human flourishing,
Then we must stop measuring it like it’s an economic spreadsheet.
Because humans aren’t GDP.
We’re generations, stories, ecosystems of meaning.
So if the goal is truly to understand how well people live,
Then the question must change from:
“How much do you have?” To: “How deeply are you connected?”
Let’s Measure Things That Actually Matter
We don’t need to reinvent metrics.
We just need to look at the full human picture:
Emotional Ecosystem
Percentage of population living with family
Community care programs (religious, volunteer-based)
Loneliness rates vs. family cohesion
Cultural Continuity
Preservation of languages, traditions, and intergenerational values
Access to ancestral knowledge systems
Spiritual Access & Fulfilment
Places of worship per capita
Participation in festivals, rituals, and service-oriented faith traditions
Mental health outcomes linked to spiritual practices
Governance Inclusiveness
Electoral participation at grassroots levels
Diversity in public institutions
Representation of minorities and castes
Economic Security with Dignity
Income inequality alongside GDP
Employment linked to purpose (education, art, healthcare, agriculture)
Availability of community-based jobs (not just urbanized employment)
Resilience Index
Ability of communities to recover from shock (disasters, pandemics, conflict)
Role of traditions, spirituality, and family in emotional healing
Civic Generosity
Volunteer hours (formal and informal)
Donations to community kitchens, shelters, schools — even if not tax-deductible
Number of social initiatives led by religious and cultural groups
Imagine This
Imagine an index that doesn’t just ask how happy you feel,
But how safe your grandmother feels,
How respected your tradition is,
How freely your children play outside,
How deeply you feel a sense of belonging — to family, community, and nation.
That’s not idealism.
That’s a better version of reality.
And that’s what we should measure.
Bharat Has Been Doing This for Millennia
In India, we’ve always known:
Happiness is not just a personal emotion. It’s a shared environment. A dharma. A lived value.
From the ashramas of ancient times to sarva dharma sambhava,
From the panchayat to the parivar,
We’ve lived systems that value connection over consumption,
Meaning over measurement.
It’s time to bring those values back into the global conversation.
Not just for India’s sake — but for the world.
11. If You Believe India Deserves Better, Think Before You Share Headlines
Every time we uncritically share these rankings,
Every time we quote them in debates or discussions,
Every time we let them define who we are —
We become complicit in a subtle but dangerous game.
A game where others set the rules.
Where their perception becomes our reality.
And where data is weaponized to distort self-worth.
India doesn’t need sympathy.
India doesn’t need validation.
What it needs is its citizens to stop echoing borrowed opinions —
and start asking tough questions:
Who conducted the survey?
Who funded it?
What cultural context was considered?
What hard data was used?
How does a war-torn or autocratic country outrank a functional, pluralistic democracy?
And most importantly —
Why do we keep giving this flawed model so much power over our self-image?
A Country of 1.4 Billion Cannot Be Measured by 1,000 Calls
India is more than a number.
More than a survey response.
More than a place on someone else’s ladder.
We are:
A 5,000-year-old civilization.
One of the youngest democracies — and the oldest living cultures.
A nation where billions dream, worship, struggle, and rise — together.
So the next time a media outlet screams “India ranks 118 in happiness,”
Pause.
Ask.
Dig.
Then speak. Not with reaction — but with truth.
Because in this age of perception wars,
Silence is surrender.
And repetition is endorsement.
Let’s not be another voice in their echo chamber.
Let’s be the voice that breaks it.
Final Thoughts
So now the question is not “Where does India rank?”
The real question is — why do we still believe them?
Why do we let foreign think tanks define our identity?
Why do our leaders stay silent when our civilization is constantly misrepresented?
Why does our media amplify borrowed headlines, but ignore our own truths?
And why aren't we bold enough to follow the money trail — of the surveys, the sponsors, the media conglomerates — that shape public perception like puppeteers behind a global curtain?
Is India so insecure that it needs to be approved by the West to feel proud?
And worst of all —
Why have our educators, the custodians of knowledge, allowed this to happen?
Why do our syllabi glorify western models, but dismiss our rishis, our texts, our thinkers, our scientists — who understood joy far beyond any ladder?
If we want India to rise, we must first reclaim our lens.
Because until we do, we’ll keep chasing a happiness that was never ours to begin with.
Do we dare to think for ourselves?
Or are we too colonized to even question the questions?
Download our Sharable Carousel on this Topic. Please share Maximum:
Thanks for diving into this article! If it sparked some ideas or gave you value, why not take the next step?
Know More about me: Click here
Know more about my work: Click here
Subscribe to my website for more thought-provoking content and resources: www.deepeshdivakaran.com/subscribe
Buy my highly acclaimed book on Outcome Based Education, now used by 1000+ Institutes: Buy It Here at Special Author Price
Follow my NEP 2020 newsletter for exclusive insights into education reform: Subscribe Here
Download my free NEP 2020 Guides for in-depth insights into education policy: Download Now
Want to have a conversation or ask a question? You can call me or WhatsApp me directly at +91 8086015111.
Prefer email? Drop me a line at mail@deepeshdivakaran.com.
Your thoughts and feedback are always appreciated. Let's shape the future of education together!
Stay Inspired, Stay Informed.
Very insightful @Deepesh. I would like to see the publisher of the report challange your claim point by point. It will not happen. Your reaction to the report is like a Gavaskar straight drive over the bowler's head for a six.