India @ 77 | Republic Day Special Podcast

As India prepares to celebrate its 77th RepublicDay, let’s reminisce about this great Nation then and now.  I’ve witnessed India’s remarkable growth,mirroring my own journey over six decades from my childhood to today.I am a proud child of India, From the ashes of 1947 totoday’s global power house, I’ve walked hand-in-hand with my Nations’s ascent,economically, socially, digitally and beyond. As a PhD Holder shaped by this soil, my growth echoes hers.  I want to feel the emotion, the pride, theunbreakable spirit …. welcoming again to myshort podcast India @77 “A Nation’s journey parallel to mine”.  Where I would like to journey through thosemost transformative years together.Digital India has changed our daily lives drastically.  Recently under an old banyan tree in my village, I could see a young boy, selling fruits pointing to the QR Code forpayments.In small stalls, in that small village, I could see people usingUPI, G Pay and what not?No more changes, No carrying notes.  Just a beep and lo your payment is done!!!That young boy may not have many degrees but he is digitallysmart.  This is the digitally smartIndia.This new confidence even in the under privileged, comes fromstrong digital systems.  Adhar, UPI, Cheapdata, and the push for ‘Digital India’ the money goes straight into the BankAccounts.Our economy has grown, our defence is stronger, our yoga andancient wisdom now reach the whole world. Of course, we are still not now that perfect.  We still fight inequality, fear and gaps inhealth and education.Here is a survey for you all ……India in 1947 dawned with a fractured economy, GDP growthunder 1%, begging for food aid.  By 2026we’re the world’s 5th largest economy at $4.2 trillion, clocking7.5% growth last year, eyeing $ 5 trillion soon.Mumbai’s skyline rivals New York,140,000 Km of highways connect villages to cities since 2014,Bullet trains and 1.2 million mobile users power UPI’s 15 billion monthlytransactions. We have exported $780 billion in goods last year.  Poverty plunged to 5%, 800 million with bankaccounts.   Solar-powered grids light100% of homes.India’s digital leap to 900 million users.200m defences and cloud labs have helped us to collaborate worldwide.  We have grown because India grew.  Our Bengaluru has given 2 million techjobs.  We have conquered pandemics withhome gown vaccines, feeding 1.4 billion via tech-Agri drones.  Not every woman is safe, not every child hasequal chances.  But when I compare theIndia of Ration Queues with the Novel India of QR codes, there is an ocean ofdifference, and there is something powerful.It is nothing but ‘Hope’.Hope in our farmers and coders.   In our soldiers and shopkeepers In our mothers who silently worked and our daughters who refuse to stop dreaming.  When I look at all of these my eyes fill with tears.  Not of pain but of gratitude.