Imagine if India had never adopted its family planning program, today our population would be between 2.5 to 3 billion. The pressure on land, water, and food resources would have been catastrophic. Agricultural expansion is already limited, while water resources are projected to shrink by nearly 50 per cent by 2030. Such a scenario would have led to widespread hunger, mass migration, and chaos.

Suppose one were to judge the Narendra Modi government solely on statistics, data, and comparative rankings. In that case, the past eleven years might easily be hailed as a golden era in India’s development. No other political system in millennia has offered such a large population hope, support, and opportunity for mainstream inclusion, and not just that.

Welcome to India, where mornings no longer greet you with birdsong but with a full-blown orchestra of honking horns, brawling bus drivers, and political soundbites.

If opposition party leaders are to be believed, India is headed for disaster. Rahul Gandhi has been levelling serious accusations against the Modi government daily, claiming that the economy has collapsed.

Once soaring like an eagle, India today finds itself caged within shrunken borders. This is the same civilisation that once ruled from Kandahar to Burma, from Tibet to Sri Lanka, whose influence touched Java and Sumatra.

It all started with me getting lost in Chennai last winter. Not in thought—though that too happens once in a while—but in actual space. As I bumbled through unfamiliar streets, I collided with a leather belt and wallet vendor. Naturally, I asked for directions—in English. He shot back a reply in Hindi, which mildly shocked me because the accent had that familiar sweet, tangy flavour of Braj. Suspicious now, I asked the obvious question, “Bhaiya, kahaan se ho?” He hesitated. “Agra,” he muttered. “Kaunse gaon?” I pressed. “Etaura ke paas!” he whispered, as if revealing state secrets. Turns out, his whole village might’ve migrated here!!