India Needs to Cultivate Emotional Rationality to Face a World Led by US-China Competition

India will witness the stiff US-China competition not only more closely because of being third on the economic podium behind the competing leaders—it'll also experience it more intensely than the rest of the world because its rise will impact both those above and those below it.

- VENUS UPADHAYAYA

India is about emotions and we have always taken pride in it—our culture, our civilizational pedigree, our history and our nationalism is all about emotions. While progressing let's not add irrationality to it!

Let's accept we are the largest demography experiencing the biggest ever socio-economic transition the world has ever witnessed before. Our society's transition to development and affluence is marked by two larger events: US-China competition and our historic rise to be the third largest economy behind them.

Our economic rise will also be marked by a swelling urban population that'll grow to 640 million by 2035. Five states—Tamil Nadu, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Karnataka and Punjab will see more than 50 percent of their populations residing in cities. The urbanization of the world's largest rural population will generate unique opportunities and challenges whose impact will percolate deep down to institutions, families and individuals.

The US-China competition and the economic rise of India will be like an underlying thread to the global march to the mid-century. India will witness the stiff US-China competition not only more closely because of being third on the economic podium behind the competing leaders—it'll also experience it more intensely than the rest of the world because its rise will impact both those above and those below it.

It'll thus be constantly challenged and would need to constantly assert itself while maintaining its focus and leadership.