Greetings on Republic Day

“Viksit Bharat by 2047” should not be treated as a slogan. It is a survival-grade national milestone, because India’s demographic clock will not wait for our slogans, our comfort, our politics, or our celebrations.

More than two decades ago, when I first ideated the thought of Viksit Bharat, it came from a simple but urgent reality: by around 2045, roughly one out of five Indians will be a senior citizen. A nation where a fifth of the population is elderly will face a very different economic equation. Spending on health, care, pensions, and support systems will rise sharply. For many in that age group, earnings will be negligible or absent. This means fewer earners will have to support more dependents-financially, emotionally, and institutionally.

If India does not become Viksit latest by 2047—then we may never become Viksit in any meaningful sense. Not because India lacks potential, but because the cost of delay will become unmanageable. A late start is not a slow start; it is a strategic failure.

So the question is not whether India wants to be Viksit Bharat by 2047. The question is whether India is building the constants that make a nation developed—starting now.

The Most Important Constant: Who Is a Bharatiya?

Before we define GDP targets, technological achievements, or global rankings, we must define the most important constant of Viksit Bharat: Who is a Bharatiya? Who is an Indian?

What are the qualities and attributes that define an Indian citizen in a Viksit Bharat? Integrity? Discipline? Empathy? Respect for public property? Scientific temper? Responsibility? Civic sense? Ability to collaborate? Commitment to learning? If we do not define the “Indian” we want, then every development plan will remain a political jargon and an administrative exercise, never a people’s movement.

A nation becomes developed when its citizens embody development in everyday conduct. Viksit Bharat is not just an economic state; it is a cultural revolution first!

And here is where one simple idea becomes powerful: the alphabet “I” in India—and in the spirit of being Bharatiya—must stand for three things: Individual, Integrity, and Integration of the goal of VIKSIT BHARAT.

Individual: because transformation begins with one person taking responsibility.
Integrity: because no nation becomes developed on shortcuts, corruption, or dishonesty- character is the real infrastructure.
Integration: because the goal of Viksit Bharat must be integrated into our daily choices, institutions, and behaviours—not treated as an occasional campaign.

Bottom-Up, Not Top-Down

We must stop believing that Viksit Bharat can be achieved top-down through sloganing, branding, and symbolic campaigns. Creating “Viksit Bharat Ambassadors” will not create Viksit Bharat. A country cannot outsource development to a few chosen faces. Development is not a photo-op; it is a daily practice.

Viksit Bharat will be built bottom-up:

First Viksit Village, thenTehsil/Taluka, then Viksit City & District, and Viksit State—and only then Viksit Bharat goal can be realised. Same we need to do for every sector-domain. But above all, it is ‘I’ , then Individual that will drive the above, and that is ‘You’

This is not just administrative sequencing. It is the only scalable model. Because development that doesn’t reach the last mile is not development—it is an illusion. We need to go back to the drawing board for our economic and administrative model.

Patriotism Is a Deed, Not a Post

Do not assume that sharing Republic Day or Independence Day messages will make India Viksit Bharat. That is not patriotism. Patriotism is not merely singing a song. Patriotism is doing a deed.

Every time you do a deed—an honest deed, a civic deed, a responsible deed—you are, in effect, singing the national anthem. Let us commit to one small deed every day for Viksit Bharat. Keep your street clean. Be punctual. Pay taxes honestly. Respect queues. Mentor one person. Teach one child. Save water. Report corruption. Don’t offer bribes. Don’t tolerate incompetence. Don’t damage public property. These are not “small” things—these are the atoms of nation-building.

The Power of “I” in India

Viksit Bharat is an individual Abhiyan. If 144 crore people cannot make India Viksit Bharat, who else will?

The real power is the power of “I”—the Individual acting with Integrity, and integrating the mission of VIKSIT BHARAT into everyday life. Not in ads. Not in hashtags. Not in expensive campaigns. But in real work, repeated daily, across millions of lives.

Let us stop performing patriotism and start practicing it. Let us stop sloganing and start building. That is how we will create Viksit Bharat—well before 2047.

This has been my favourite poem and it should be yours too, if you want a Viksit Bharat because – ‘You’ are the Real ‘Power’.

One song can spark a moment,
One whisper can wake the dream.
One tree can start a forest,
One bird can herald spring.

One smile begins a friendship,
One moment can make one fall in luv.
One star can guide a ship at sea,
One word can frame the goal

One vote can change a nation,
One sunbeam lights a room
One candle wipes out darkness,
One laugh will conquer gloom.

One step must start each journey.
One word must start each prayer.
One hope will raise our spirits,
One touch can show you care.

One voice can speak with wisdom,
One heart can know what’s true,
One life can make a difference,
You see, it’s up to you!

With lots of love and good wishes

Dr. Rajendra Pratap Gupta, PhD
Founder
Viksit Bharat