Do it yourself

“Life is about the journey, not the destination”. This is a popular quote (often attributed to Ralph Waldo Emerson) amongst motivational speakers, self-help and mindfulness coaches, therapists, and teachers. I have spent a good part of my life aimlessly wandering in the hinterlands of India. During these journeys I have learned a lot not only about my country, people, culture, traditions, treasures, and problems; but have also explored my inner self. I can therefore relate deeply with this saying.

However, a grave situation could arise when governments, businesses and other institutions begin to take this saying seriously; not realizing that it is about self-help and mindfulness at an individual level. Policy makers and institutions focusing on journeys rather than destinations may frustrate millions, depending on them for governance and livelihood, by causing avoidable agony and making their lives miserable.

Unfortunately, prima facie, our governments have been taking this saying too seriously. Their planning process appears to be focusing too much on means rather than goals. They have been putting the cart in front of the horse, not reaching anywhere or moving extremely slowly.

Let me explain with a few examples.

Constructing fancy buildings instead of character and scientific temper

The government has set a goal of constructing institutions like IITs, IIMs and AIIMS. Whereas, the goal should have been making Indians educated and healthy, in order to help them in developing a scientific temper (fundamental duty of citizens as per the Constitution).

Primary school is the place where you develop the character and temper of a child. And unfortunately, that is the place which is being ignored the most.

Merely constructing fancy buildings to produce graduates with little scientific temper and lacking in basic sense of inquiry does not serve any goal. A number of top engineering graduates pursue a management degree immediately after completing graduation, and they aspire for a banking job. This clearly shows that the selection process of engineering institutes like IITs is completely flawed and does not serve the purpose. A student who does not aspire to become a top class engineer to drive innovation and inquiry, should get eliminated at the application stage itself.

Similarly, a fully equipped primary health center in each village could eliminate the need for 50 AIIMS like institutions, and make the country much healthier. Building AIIMS, when diabetes, cancer, Vitamin B12 and D deficiencies, etc. have already assumed epidemic proportions, makes little sense.

Awarding national awards to actors who have been actively promoting consumption of tobacco, cause of thousands of untimely deaths every year, while focusing on constructing AIIMS in every state clearly indicate towards goal incongruence.

GDP is statistics not development

Celebrating the absolute GDP number and taking comfort in a growth rate that is higher relative to other economies, is also superfluous. The policy goal should be to improve the quality of life of every citizen to a certain level of comfort and dignity. Statistics like GDP growth should be left to the agencies monitoring the achievement of this goal. Government focusing on GDP growth is purely a distraction from the primary goal, i.e., “to minimize the inequalities in income, status, facilities and opportunities (as per the directive principles of the constitution)”. The government should monitor and report the progress in achievement of this goal rather than throwing random and meaningless numbers like $5trn and $10trn.

Medal and sports

The government has apparently set a goal to win a certain number of medals in the international sporting events like Olympics, Asian Games etc.

The goal of the policy should ideally be to promote sporting habits in the citizens, especially children, in order to make/keep them healthy, and help them develop characteristics like brotherhood, team spirit, harmony (as per fundamental duties prescribed in the constitution). Winning medals is just a by-product of sporting habits, which a few young people, who choose sports as a career, might win in due course. This cannot be a policy goal in a country like India.

Temple vs Character

The government has celebrated the construction of a grand Lord Rama’s temple at his birth place in Ayodhya, as one of its main achievements. The point is what should be the policy goal – building temples or building Lord Rama like character in the citizens of the country.

Lord Rama was anointed king of Ayodhya, but left the throne for his younger brother to honor the words of his father. He defeated Bali, but left the throne of Kishkindha to Bali’s younger brother Sugriva. He defeated Ravana, but left his kingdom Lanka for his younger brother, Vibhishana.

However, the outcome of the Ayodhya temple is that the followers of Lord Rama have become aggressive in their pursuit of taking possession of several other religious buildings for constructing temples at the expense of social harmony, common brotherhood, and peace.

An ideal policy goal would have been to develop Lord Rama like character in all primary school students, such that every household becomes a temple. The temple at Ayodhya should be used as an epitome of strong character not as an excuse for jingoistic nationalism.

These are just a few examples, where the government policies are like cart before horse. Everyone is enjoying the journey without going anywhere!!!

For decades, the United States has held a unique place in the global imagination — as the land of opportunity. Its greatest strength may not lie in military might, financial depth, or diplomatic reach, but in its remarkable ability to attract and absorb the best minds from across the world — including from adversarial or war-torn nations.

The most striking evidence of this is visible in America’s talent pool. Professionals of foreign origin — Indian, Chinese, Iranian, German, and more — dominate leadership roles across top corporations, academic institutions, legal systems, research labs, and even sensitive government-linked establishments like NASA. Many of these individuals come from countries that have historically suffered at the hands of U.S. military or economic policy — yet they thrive in the American ecosystem, contributing to its innovation, productivity, and geopolitical leverage.

This magnetic pull continues despite periodic political rhetoric against immigration, restrictions on student visas, and debates around birthright citizenship. Talented people, especially in emerging fields like artificial intelligence (AI), continue to gravitate towards the U.S. in pursuit of better opportunities and freer expression.

Global AI brain drain

Take, for instance, the migration of AI professionals. Between 2019 and 2024, over 12,000 Indian AI researchers relocated to the U.S., according to migration and academic datasets — second only to Iranian researchers. Over 90% of AI PhD graduates from U.S. institutions have stayed back to work in American academia or industry. Many of these individuals were educated at premier Indian institutions like the IITs, whose costs are borne by Indian taxpayers.

China, however, seems to be bucking this trend. In 2019, only 10% of top-tier Chinese AI researchers remained in China after graduating. By 2022, this figure had grown to 26%, thanks to improving domestic research infrastructure and better-funded universities — six of which now rank among the top 25 globally for AI research.

This trend might just be the beginning. Recently, Canadian mathematician Joshua Zahl, credited with major advances on the century-old Kakeya conjecture, announced his move to Nankai University in China as a full-time chair professor. If such high-profile migrations become common, it would mark a structural shift in the global knowledge economy — one that the U.S. may no longer dominate unchallenged.

Opportunity as a national strategy

What sets the U.S. apart is not just that it welcomes immigrants, but how it integrates and enables them. Many other nations — Australia, the UK, Canada, Germany, and France — have also absorbed millions of immigrants over the past three decades. Yet, none have reaped the economic and strategic benefits at the scale the U.S. has. One reason could be that these countries often pursued immigration for social balancing (aging population, refugee resettlement) while the U.S. positioned itself as a platform for economic opportunity and personal advancement.

This distinction is critical.

India’s blind spot

India, meanwhile, continues to suffer from an unchecked exodus of both talent and wealth. Not only do our brightest minds — trained at the cost of the exchequer — leave in search of better prospects, but increasingly, our wealthiest families are choosing to settle abroad, relocating their capital and potential job-creating capacity with them.

While we celebrate our ancient heritage, digital prowess, and rising geopolitical clout, the hard truth remains: India is still not seen as a land of opportunity — neither by outsiders nor, tragically, by its own elite. We are yet to hear of a rich or highly skilled professional choosing India as their destination of aspiration.

This is not just a branding issue; it is a systemic failure. From bureaucratic hurdles and inconsistent policy to inadequate research funding and a stifling regulatory climate, we are often indifferent — if not hostile — to the very people we need to retain or attract.

Time for radical rethinking

The continued erosion of India’s human capital advantage must not be dismissed as collateral in a globalized world. It is a serious strategic risk. We need a radical rethinking of our talent, research, and immigration policies — including steps like:

·         Creating elite research institutions with global faculty and unrestricted funding

·         Offering residency and startup incentives for global entrepreneurs and returning Indians

·         Reforming academic governance and expanding autonomy

·         Reimagining urban centers as global innovation hubs, not just tech parks

It’s time we recognize that global competitiveness today is not just about trade or missiles — it's about minds. And talent goes where it feels valued, not just needed.

In the classic Hindi film Sahib, Biwi Aur Ghulam (1956), the old aristocracy is shown flying pigeons while their estates crumble around them. There’s a metaphor in that. India must not fall into the trap of living with hubris, celebrating ancient glories while losing out on the future.

(Note: This post has been edited with the help of ChatGPT)