India is in an interesting position. In 75 years of independence, it has stridden from a more-poverty laced society to one that is seeing more abundance and prosperity. Given India’s seemingly argumentative democracy, this growth has surprised many. This book, for a change, does not bask in India’s ancient glory or this current growth but rather looks into the future.
Authored by V Pattabhi Ram and Dr Anbuthambi Bhojarajan, the book touches on a variety of areas – defence to democracy, healthcare to happiness, smart cities to sports… This book is the consolidated dream of 25 writers who have been mentored by 25 experts looking into 25 different sectors of how India would be 25 years from now. A lot of 25’s indeed!
A holistic approach to future
But as I read through, the book proves that it is not merely a dream. It is a vision that is well-anchored in the present while looking at the future. The chapters contributed by different writers have been combined cohesively and the entire narrative as a story is a gripping read. With lot of books that talk about a dystopian future, this breaks free and looks at a utopian one.
When one talks about the future, the focus is usually on critical sectors that affect the economy. For a refreshing change, this book covers non-mainstream economic topics like entertainment, happiness, climate change, fashion and fitness. These reflect the aspirations of a nation that has been benefiting from the basics satisfied and looking into the elevated aspects of quality of life for all.
|
Some interesting thoughts from the book…
|
Vision of Millennials
It is a book written by the millennials about the world in which their kids would live and set the rules. India stands at an important juncture in its growth journey and this book assures that 21st century is India’s, much like how the 20th belonged to the USA and the 19th was that of Britain’s. While the book falls short of envisioning radical technologies that can drive up limitless capabilities in the future, it does foresee that, in 2047, India’s growth would be led by technologies like automation, artificial intelligence [AI], blockchain, cloud, big data…
Overall, the book itself is a fun read to peek into our future and will be interesting to see, 25 years from now, how much of this dream has been realised.
Fantastic trailblazer Jayanthi.