When we announced our essay contest two months ago, we fully expected a flood of
entries: experience has taught us that our Indian and Pakistani readers hold
strong opinions -- and are eager to share them. But nothing could prepare us for
the deluge that ensued. If we were staggered by the sheer volume of entries, we
were astonished by their variety.
The broad patterns were predictable. The majority of Indians cited their
country's democracy as its greatest achievement; most Pakistanis cited their
nation's very survival. But there were scores of left-field...