During one of my fellowships in Netherlands, my Institute Director would often quote a routine saying about the Dutch sense of freedom at the individual level. As it went, “A single Dutch was an honourable free Dutchman, two together were a political party, and three would be a church. An exceptional people and a beautiful country, where one would often see The Queen cycling down the marketplace. That explains, why Den Hague hosts the International Court of Justice! Indians being their own class, be not surprised if India would be having disproportionally higher number of cases listed there!

If I was to describe the common Indian mindset, surely in the lighter vein, “One Indian is a political party, two become a case under ani-defection law between each other, and three a self- made bench to sort out the matter”. Time, as you know is in plenty for such matters.
After a nation-rocking devastation in April, the worst ever reported in the pandemic, different strategies are on the anvil. It was a combination of an un-imaginable upsurge that included nature’s wrath, a sudden realization of lack of requisite resources in a developing democratic nation bearing the world’s largest population, and the subsequent vicious circle of system failures. Not to mention the lack of response, dearth of vaccinations-indigenous, as well as instant demands from some influential democracies, also our prime allies.

The blame-game, over-zealous efforts by states to procure vaccines on their own, comments by political parties with a standing, blaming the vaccine as a political product, lack of appropriate objective explanations of side effects reported in the media, has led to a psychological wall named as “vaccine hesitancy”.
Vaccination being target number one, there are many other time bound goals the country has to gear up to. Having suffered in one, is reason to be top of the pack in the other targets as they augment the vaccination program as well.

These are digitalization in all aspects of communications, more so in distribution of bandwidths to cover the land, keeping parties with proven network strength of network and required capital. Two or three players in the field shall keep up pro-active competition, as well as invite foreign investment, and escalating joint technology.
Big Data handling, as envisaged by mega industrialists, can make India a hemispheric, even a global outsourcing hub. We rightly invested in communication satellites. A global upper hand in IT with a cluster of IT companies as TCS, Infosys, Wipro, HCL, and many others are all indigenous concepts that are global performers. Here lies the lead, that good governance should further unleash.

Digitalization in circumstance of Internet of Things (IoT), becomes the key theme that is just in its earlier phases. To be able to remotely up-freeze the refrigerator, turn on the baking of a cake in the microwave with timed, graded temperature, is good excitement, but not the core use of digitalization.

To be able to read markets, transfer money at the press of a button, rake in or pay back interest in banking, where interests may be counted by the minute, is closer to its use.

Immediate use is instant connectivity, two-way, in healthcare and education, no-matter how remote the place of therapy, or learning. Education, particularly needs clarity to make learning as close to a physical face to face inter-action. Higher education, where we are trailing, to some extent is propped-up by the private sector. Certain key and intricate subjects can be bought and loaned from authorities by the Education Ministry. I am aware of the phenomenon of “capitation fees”. That there should be a scrutiny on it is another matter, but the government buying key lectures from experts, shall lift the burden of quality and a certain expenditure from the balance sheets of private institutions.

The next challenge is reducing automotive emissions, and that from giant industries as steel, forging and other coal- based production. With enough of sun, segments of arid land, and the Thar desert, there should ample investments and power generation form this source, fed in the power grid, for overall distribution.

The rigors of the pandemic, that still leaves aftershocks, even threatens another wave, has also changed the order of the queue of developed and developing countries. India with a new disciple and work-culture, should aim close to the top of the charts.
Infrastructure particularly the NHAI ministry would be adding 60.000 kms of world class 4-6 lane expressways, boosting land goods movements, and passenger travel. It is admirable that it was all done during lockdowns.

Some ideas as “bullet trains” thought to be futuristic, now is to materialize in the Mumbai-Ahmadabad fast trains, with a 5-star hotel at the Gandhinagar railway station. That makes the journey wrap-up in three hours, stay included. By air it would be two hours reporting time, around an hour of flying time, and further time to find appropriate lodging.

We expect business visitors, pharma JV, automotive collaborators for the exclusive “Electronic Car City” to reach deals in ease in the shortest possible time. The complimentary camel ride with Gujarati cuisine comes later! (For gastronomic reasons, “Undhio” the recipe, has been disallowed. The literal meaning being ‘bottom-side up’).
In many ways, we are approaching “Moment India”, with a lead in IT, AI, robust production in green automotive sector, and already a place in Pharma.

Yes, what is a democracy without an opposition. Their comments are part of the system. We just need to come together for the health and economic health of this nation.

Yes, no hesitancy!

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Views expressed above are the author's own.

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