What is it about the Indian psyche that makes us so incapable of fulfilling our promise as a nation? Why are we so averse to risk, resigned to mediocrity and mired in a collective lack of confidence? India has so much potential but seems forever stuck on the brink of actualization, unable to muster the political will and geo-economic force to clear the final bar. The stakes are higher than ever, and India’s moment is now.
Super Century by Raghav Bahl highlights the Indian psyche that makes us so incapable of fulfilling our promise as a nation and questions our constant aversion to risk, resignation to mediocrity and our collective lack of confidence.
The below points share what India must do in order to achieve the greatness that is it’s due:
Treat any friction in the India–US relationship as temporary and stay focused on the long-term prize: an unequivocal alliance.
~
India’s leaders should consult with experts, from private industry as well as the public sector, to figure out how best to deliver top-quality, state-of-the-art service in each sector, make them operate with maximum efficiency and provide an effective safety net for society’s neediest.
~
India’s leaders must be truly committed to liberating— rather than squelching, or redirecting—the ambitions of the Indian people. Only then will the nation fulfil the promise of all its potential both at home and in the world.
~
Instead of treating tourists with indifference or worse, we need to recognize their value to India. Not only do they bring in desperately needed revenue, but they also expose us to new perspectives and raise our global profile.
~
The ratio of allopathic doctors to citizens should double to 1 per 1000 by 2027, and India would also seek to increase the density of health workers— nurses and midwives, as well as doctors—to WHO’s ideal of twenty three per 10,000 people. There should be at least one medical college per district or 1.5 million people and a system for training community health workers.
Super Century offers a cogent and candid assessment of how we got where we are and a clear blueprint of what we need to do, both at home and in the world, to fulfil our promise going forward.
