The India Surge Growth, Governance, and a New Model for the World

After the clarion call of Viksit Bharat (Developed India) by 2047 given by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, there is a growing sense in the corridors of global powers that India’s time has come. Long regarded as a rising power on the verge of arrival, India today stands as a critical pillar of the 21st-century global order, and there are ample reasons for this.

- By Dr. Jitender Bhandari

India is already the fourth-largest economy in the world and is poised to overtake Japan by 2027 to become the third-largest. It has also become the most populous country, surpassing China, but India’s real strength lies not in its total population, but in its demographic composition. More than 68% of its population falls within the working-age group (15-59 years), and the median age is just 28.8 years. India’s demographic strength, digital revolution, and diplomatic assertiveness are no longer aspirational talking points; they are active levers of global influence. The question before the world is no longer whether India will shape the new century — but how.

A New Geography of Power

Much of the 20th century was dominated first by the transatlantic alliance and later by the rise of China. The 21st, however, is witnessing the emergence of a multilateral world — with the United States, China, and India as its defining anchors. India’s geopolitical positions, straddling the Indo-Pacific, connected to the Middle East, and respected across the Global South, have made it indispensable to the balance of power.

India’s diplomacy has evolved from cautious nonalignment to strategic multi-alignment. It is a member of the QUAD, partnering with major democracies to secure the Indo-Pacific; it leads the Global South through forums such as the G20 and BRICS; maintains a strategic relationship with Russia; advances its Act East Policy; and fosters strong ties with Europe through FTAs. Few nations have managed to walk this tightrope with such finesse — though some of these relationships have faced pressure, particularly due to protectionist trade policies in the West.