Description
The unpredictable geopolitical developments over the past three months have been turbulent and chaotic across the globe. It reminds me of the term “Mortecene ,” proposed by Clifton Crais in his book “The Killing Age ,” which marshals vast statistical and historical evidence, mainly from 1750 to 1900. Isn’t the modern world getting darker?
India, continuously observant of the unwarranted emerging challenges and crises arising out of expanding conflicts, has pragmatically insulated itself while ensuring the continuity of its growth momentum. It has remarkably weathered the global storms through a “Chakravyuh” manoeuvre to navigate economic uncertainty with calibrated exit openings, avoiding the creation of new imbalances through focused fiscal and monetary policies. Quietly, India has been building its resilience in an increasingly volatile global environment with a focus on technology, innovation, and sustained economic growth. The past few years have seen India’s strength rise, with its freedom to engage and shape external outcomes and its strategic autonomy evolving as a discipline where the credibility of its choices—its own terms to say yes or no, backed with capability and matched with delivery—matters and resonates widely.
Aware of the rising energy concerns, India achieved a major nuclear breakthrough in the first week of April with the criticality of the Prototype Fast Breeder Reactor (PFBR). The three-stage nuclear programme, which started in 2004 and was to be completed by 2012, was finally achieved on April 4, 2026. This landmark event at Kalpakkam in Tamil Nadu is a big boost for India’s energy security and self-reliance. It is another “Pokhran moment” for the country and its nuclear scientists, reflecting a stubborn persistence in the face of long-standing technical hurdles. This success will eventually replace uranium imports with thorium utilisation and provide Aatmanirbharta in energy security to the nation.
The learnings from Middle East war, effectively over by now as per analysts, provides ample clarity for Rising India to reset its priorities on multiple fronts. Strategy is now dictated by economics and geoeconomics has an edge over geopolitics. Without strengthening of its maritime power status and credible, sustainable, and technologically advanced air defence and air strike capabilities, India’s aspirations and strategic ambitions will remain constrained. India is entering into a decisive decade—the “Mission Mode Decade”—where it should
focus on its goal of being a developed nation by 2047. Becoming a global leader will not be a seamless ascent; it requires digging deep to address lingering weaknesses and structural bottlenecks.
The government’s focus on the Aatmanirbhar Bharat initiative, prioritising innovation, technology-driven domestic manufacturing and a strong procurement pipeline, has been encouraging and a big booster to revive Bharat’s centuries-old tradition of valuing innovation. The coming decade (2026–2036) will be crucial for the Viksit Bharat 2047 goal—as it cannot afford any misstep or complacency now. The road ahead is rugged, and the time for easy wins is over.