A teenager’s perspective – 2047: My role in making India a developed nation

“A desire to contribute” – that’s my takeaway from the children of our school. Here are a few lines on what I have understood from my interaction with the children. Penned as a child on the right path.

- Lt Col Yogendra Singh, SM (Retd), Principal, 

Lord Krishna Public School, Greater Noida

Introduction.

An aspiration every child has – to live a life of dignity and comfort, it’s our most basic requirement. A life that is being led in a society both mature and progressive. Every child wants to be contributing to such societies and in doing so be wanted, be useful and be respected. We want to labor and we want our labor to bear fruits. We want our names to be associated with successful things, the most prominent association being – our Nation.

I hold a similar aspiration. I want to see my country be the most developed nation our planet has ever witnessed. In every parameter of development, I want my country to be the benchmark. I am not satisfied by merely being labeled to be living in a nation that was once a “Sone ki chidiya”. I want my whole bagicha to be laden with sona.

What is my definition of a developed nation?

My first definition of a developed nation is one which looks and feels developed. Hygiene, sanitation, safety, electricity, water, roads, health etcare but some of the first set of parameters. Only a comfortable citizen who doesn’t struggles through basic requirements of daily life, can have time and energy for higher order thinking – research and industries.

My second definition is about strength of institutions. A developed country doesn’t have one overarching umbrella organization or appointment that does it all. Think Pakistan Army and what does Pakistan’s future beckons? And then think England’s democracy – each of the three pillars hold the other accountable, with media (and hence, citizens) playing umpire.

My third definition emanates from a question – does the nation attract citizens from foreign shores for permanent settlement or do its citizen aspire to migrate to other countries? A developed country not just retains, but also attracts best humans from foreign shores. Think 11th – 15th century, when our ancestors were doing well, we attracted foreign settlers, albeit invaders. Later during 17thcentury, we attracted best foreign companies, who unfortunately, subsequently colonized us.

Where do I think India stands currently?

I have learnt from my geography lessons that our nation has it all – fertile plains, ore rich plateaus, oil rich shorelines, biodiverse mountains, salt plains and all four seasons. Unlike a lot of successful nations, every inch of our land and seas has enormous potential.

I have learnt from my civics that our nation got the basics right – a vibrant democracy with institutions built on strong foundations.

But I have also learnt that we carry the burden of our immediate history. We were colonized in a manner and for a duration that left us struggling for even life and food! 

Although it has only been 75 years and we have made remarkable progress in a lot of parameters, yet it isn’t sufficient. I would concentrate only on those where we are laggards.

Our cities and towns aren’t attractive to aspirational humans. I live in a privileged city and can only say that not all my friends aspire to continue to be Indian citizens. A large reason is that democracy at cities/town level is dysfunctional. Roads, sanitation, pollution, water, electricity, policing, public spaces etc., which have most impact on our lives and are municipality subjects are the reason we lose talented citizens, let alone attract foreign talented humans.

Some of our institutions aren’t our strength. Of the three pillars of democracy, I am not proud of all of them. Quality of our polity and pendency with our judiciary should be our biggest concerns because if we want to attract global talent and their investments, these must be addressed within this decade.

Moreover, local democracy must be strengthened. Our municipalities and panchayats must be made accountable and not leave their subjects to bureaucrats.

Strength of our economy. We can rightly be proud of being the fifth largest economy, soon to be fourth, only behind USA, China and EU. But given the fact that one in every six human lives in India, we should be at least 17% of the world economy. Our share in world GDP is about 10%, likely to increase to about 13% in next 25 years. These figures will neither give us economic heft to safeguard our interests at the world stage nor provide enough funds to address our local issues such as roads, sanitation, pollution, water, electricity, policing, public spaces etc.

Maths : In 2025, I’m 13 years old. In 2047, I’ll be 35. How can I contribute?

From what I have learnt from newspaper editorials, enough ink has been spent to identify the issues likely plaguing our growth and their remedial measures. But what can I do? How can I contribute?

My First Contribution. I intend to acquire quality education and not leave for foreign shores. I intend to work in niche technology such as AI or semiconductor manufacturing or defense production or rare earth industry within our country and help make that company the best ever.

My Second Contribution. I have a very strong belief that if we put our local issues front and center, we should be able to overcome them. Some of our cities and towns have shown us that strong local bodies make lasting changes. I intend to be vocal about these and exhort fellow citizens to not lower their expectations.

Our students want to contribute 

because they don’t want to be part of the generation 

that sets yet another milestone for the next generation – 

no more extensions beyond 2047!

Disclaimer. These 1000 words have been possible because of the ideas given by children of the school and hence, have been written from a child’s perspective.