``Rarely has the ruling elites identified and made common cause with the common man,'' said Gujral, while addressing an audience at the Sant Dnyaneshwar and Sant Tukaram Endowment Lecture series. To have good governance there was a need for looking after the interests of the disadvantaged and the weak. A strong legal foundation, said Gujral was imperative for the creation of a strong civilised society. But, quoting a former Pakistani Minister, Ashan Iqbal, Gujral pointed out that simply having strong institutions was not enough. Good governance needed proper implementation. Reflecting on Pakistan, Gujral, who is known for his proximity to deposed Pakistani premier Nawaz Sharif said that Pakistan's ruling elite did not give adequate attention to this axiom.

Gujral had another Pakistani thinker on mind suggested that India try to improve its Gross Happiness Index, a concept that had been coined by Mehboob Ul Haq. ``Haq, who helped quantify this concept along with the United Nations Development Programme was the driving force behind the Human Development reports, Unfortunately we do not do very well on that scale.''

Education, said Gujral, was the best way to combat the challenges facing the country. ``Better education has ensured a rapid growth index. Literacy is the most potent factor in human growth.'' In the end Gujral hoped that Maharashtra which had a plethora of intellectual talent would achieve 100 per cent literacy and help set the country on the road to progress fit enough for the next millennium.