Indian People Have Amazing Ability To Course Correct

Our relentless progress will transform us into the third-largest economy in a few years

- SHASHI SHEKHAR

Peeking into a common citizen's life opens portals to understanding a nation's resilience and resolve. Let's begin with an Indian child in 1966.

It was an August afternoon in Mirzapur. The family of a government officer was about to have lunch when his daughter (4) and son (6) started crying. The red chapatis were the culprit. The wheat from the US was meant for poultry feed in that country. Even that was available to the lucky few. We were suffering from a massive drought, turning farmland into dust bowls.

Records suggest India produced 72.3 million tonnes (mt) of grain in 1965-66. This was why Indira Gandhi sought food aid from US President Lyndon B. Johnson the moment she became the prime minister. By comparison, in the 2024-25 fiscal year, India produced 353.95 mt of grain. The nation's journey from the begging bowl to agricultural self-reliance is inspiring.