Byju Raveendran writes: An India where anyone can start a business is taking shape

The largest democracy in the world is also the world’s fifth-largest economy with a median age below 30. India today has the perfect trifecta of ambition, skill and capital to create world-class companies across multiple sectors. This is possible because we are today not hiding from our problems but facing them head-on with the energy and creativity of a young nation. Solving for India is solving for one-sixth of humanity. The government of India, through policies such as Digital India and Startup India, is playing a champion’s role in propelling India into the big league of global disruptors. We have already created the greatest middle-class in the history of the world by lifting millions of people from poverty. Now we need to provide everyone with a fair chance to develop their talents.

There are very few countries in the world whose history of advancement can parallel that of India. More so as it transitions from an agriculture and service-based economy to a knowledge-based and product economy. However, sustained national progress hinges on the continued convergence of education, technology, and innovation. We need to train our children in critical thinking and problem-solving skills, which will be vital for the future of work. Keeping pace with the rapidly changing technological landscape requires the vision which the National Education Policy 2020 boldly demonstrates. An equaliser and uplifter, education is a component vital to nation-building, giving a billion-plus Indians a solid foundation to foster multi-year economic growth, upward social mobility, and autonomy.

Today, India is a “can-do’”nation. By making the right choices, anyone can succeed in India. We now need to work together with a full-potential mindset in this Amrit Kaal, which I see as 25 years of limitless possibilities in this new land of opportunity. We must gather enough courage to take ownership of not just our own destiny but also improve other lives. It is by converting our many challenges into multiple opportunities that India will live up to its fullest potential. As Mahatma Gandhi said, “To believe in something, and not to live it, is dishonest.”

I have no doubt that India will be the most powerful, happiest, and most generous country in the world before this century ends. You just have to meet one entrepreneurial grandmother and one entrepreneurial teenager to realise this yourself. Indeed, it was only in India that a teacher’s son who grew up in a village could live his dream of helping millions learn better.

(The writer is founder & CEO, BYJU’S)