Make in India, Digital India, Start-up India; Stand up India, Smart cities, Swachh Bharat...there is a new force harnessing the nation s aspirations, a new energy accelerating the country s potential. No wonder that India has become the fastest growing economy when the world is slowing down. It is bound to be transformed beyond recognition if it continues growing at a similar and slightly higher rate for the next ten years. Yet the challenges are formidable: India is home to the world s largest number of poor and illiterate people; millions still lack basic necessities like shelter, sanitation, drinking water, education and healthcare. Our infrastructure still creaks, bureaucratic delays persist, far-reaching economic reforms get stalled in the Parliament and our biggest strength that could easily turn into a big challenge our youth brimming with hope and holding a long wish list anxiously await jobs. These and the country s fragmented polity, delicate social fabric and prevailing gender insensitivity are not issues that can be tackled in days, weeks or months. Some of the brightest and most influential minds with a combined contribution of more than a thousand years across important areas like science and technology, agriculture, business, politics, international relations, law, education, journalism and art take a hard and dispassionate look at the India of today. While some have flagged education, skilling of youth and innovative approaches in administration, others feel that without a thorough cleansing of corruption and creation of a just and inclusive society embracing timeless values, India can t possibly leapfrog. A must-read for policymakers, scholars and anybody interested in the future of this great nation, the book challenges notions, invigorates reflections, spurs debates and seeds new ideas to leapfrog India."