It is watershed moment for India! India @ 75.
It is at the cusp of history. It has come a long way. After it shed its colonial yoke in 1947, it has grown from strength to strength and today, it is a power to reckon with in this multipolar world, wielding its influence through its soft power and doing its bit to usher in an equitable world order.
It has always been a beacon light of hope, especially to countries which have huge populations at the bottom of the pyramid. India’s Covid Vaccine Outreach during the worst days of the pandemic and organizing rescue flights to bring back its stranded students and other nationals, is an instance in point. It has its own challenges but when the push comes to the shove, it rises up to the occasion and selflessly offers help. Imagine how transformational and positively impactful it can be, if it is vested with powers and status!
India is a virtual sub-continent and its ethos of “Unity in Diversity” is an aspirational template for a polarized and fractured world which has several fault lines.
If India has to occupy its rightful place in the comity of nations, it has to secure a seat as a permanent member in the UN Security Council. It is eminently qualified to be bestowed this honour, which has been eluding it for a long time. It will do its job with elan, panache and aplomb and its very presence in that august council will be a soothing and calming one which can bring Shanti (Peace) to this strife torn world. We have always believed in “Vasudaiva Kutumbakam” (the world is one family) and we will strive to make it a reality.
India was under subjugation for two to three centuries. It was pillaged and stripped of its resources and wealth when it was under foreign domination. It is now bouncing back to global economic prominence. It aspires to be a 5 trillion dollar economy by 2025. If it gets there, it will the third largest economy in the world, next only to the USA and China. An Atmanirbhar Bharat will be a big enabler. It has to become a manufacturing and services powerhouse. It has to take bold steps like modernizing its railways and railway infrastructure, modernizing its roads and ports, has to manufacture its own commercial aeroplane, manufacture its own military hardware and reduce its dependence on other powers, nurture and engender home spun MNCs which can spread their wings across the globe, facilitate private-public enterprise partnerships which can bring in state of the art technologies and the much needed capital.
On the socio-economic side it should aspire to be a Welfare State with attendant benefits to its citizens.
It should build an infrastructure eco-system which should be the envy of others Schools to impart value based education, World Class Universities and centres of excellence in areas like Robotics, Stem Cell Research, Nanotechnology, Advanced Manufacturing and Cybersecurity and other cutting edge technology areas. Resource Recovery and Renewable Energy should be the thrust areas.
Each state should have linkages with an advanced country based on their core competencies and should vie with one another (within India) in social and developmental indices.
A wold class library system has to be developed across the country. Tourism has to be promoted on a war footing. Indians have always believed in Athithi devo bhava. Time to make India, a sought after destination. It has so much to offer, be it landscape, rich heritage, cuisine and everything else.
A conscious plan has to be drawn to attract educated Indians who have made a mark in other parts of the world to come back to India and set up shop here. Kind of a Brain Gain, so to speak!
ZOHO’s founder and CEO, Sridhar Vembu is a shining example. He has taken a conscious decision to relocate to India from the Silicon Valley and is leveraging on his expertise and transforming the landscape in Tamil Nadu. We need to attract people like him in droves!
Five Trillion economy will then be a cakewalk and a certainty.
A caveat here. Servant Leadership is what the country sorely needs in this phase of its existence. Leadership, that will put nation and nation building above all else. Self -Serving politicians should be shown the door. They will prove to be our undoing.
Another cause for concern is the burgeoning population. Unbridled population explosion will also throw the spanner in the works and offset all the gains we are making. We have been evading the issue all along and have been touting it as a demographic dividend (having a young population, et al ;). Time to take the bull by its horns.
The present dispensation at the helm has come out with many path-breaking initiatives which will not only empower the down trodden but also help bring them into the mainstream.
The spirit of the people is palpable. They have heart within and God overhead;
They will pull it off!
The next 25 years will be interesting… India @ 100 will be Azaadi ka Anokha Shatabdi and we will sing Sare Jahan se Accha ye Hindustaan Hamara but in a rising crescendo.
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