Bridging hearts is as vital as ending curse of poverty
barf ka gola (snow cones). Though currency was used at the time, the ancient barter system dominated. When I told this story to my village’s third-generation youngsters, they laughed in disbelief.
Their curious and disbelieving laughter assures us that no one can stop India’s progress now. Amrit kaal’s self-assurance did not emerge quickly or without effort. Its roots lie our past.
According to British economist Angus Maddison, India provided more than one-fourth of the world’s GDP in AD 1000, i.e. the Rajput era. It stood at 27% even during the Mughal period later.
But Western rulers harmed this significantly. The British, the French, and the Portuguese came here to plunder, not to settle. They completed this task quickly and efficiently.
When Robert Clive defeated Nawab Siraj-ud-Daula in 1757, it had been decided that British would establish their authority over a major part of India. For the next 200 years, they left no stone unturned in their quest to eliminate the sone ki chidiya (golden bird). The situation had deteriorated to a point where India’s growth rate between 1900 and 1947 was below 0.07%.
When the British left on 15 August 1947, more than 90% of Indians were impoverished, and literacy had dropped to only 12%. I am proud to say that our economy is now a notch higher than the Britain who brought us here. By 2030, India will be the world’s third-largest economy, and during the next two decades, it will be the world’s second-largest.
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