India is the I in BRICS and the vowel that makes the name pronounceable. It’s the world’s largest democracy and the fastest-growing economy on earth.
With hundreds of languages and thousands of dialects, India is a cacophonic Babylon. But like in South Africa, English is one of its two official languages. That’s one reason why Indian scientists, engineers, doctors, and teachers are at the forefront of much of the industrialised world. Information technology is another. India is home to Microsoft and many other multinational companies and is the world’s largest exporter of IT.
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Modern medicine is where India shines, too. When AIDS erupted in the early 2000s, it was an Indian company that supplied affordable generics to African charities and governments.
Bird flu in 2006 saw a repeat of that, and during the more recent Covid-19 pandemic, India developed and made its own vaccines so that Indians faced no shortages. Today, India is the world’s largest manufacturer of generic drugs and vaccines.
The country hasn’t lagged behind in space research either. India’s rockets frequently transport Western satellites. This was the first Asian country to send a mission into orbit around Mars. Even as BRICS meets in South Africa, an Indian spacecraft is poised to land on the moon. And a mission to the Sun is under planning, too.
Technology, science, space missions. So what happened to agriculture, which covers 55% of India’s population? There are plenty of firsts in its rural economy, too.
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Economic firsts
- World’s largest producer of milk, pulses and spices
- World’s largest area of cultivation for wheat, rice and cotton
- Second largest producer of sugarcane, farmed fish, sheep and goat meat, vegetables and tea.
Exotic India is well and alive, too. The Taj Mahal’s lustre. Luxurious palaces. Yoga, Ayurveda, Bollywood and big fat Indian weddings. India’s energy lies in traditions, eccentricities and innovative people.
Energy is a keyword in more ways than one. The economic powerhouse is home to the world’s fourth-largest coal reserves and the second-largest coal energy consumer.
But access to renewable energy is on the rise. India’s capacity for wind and solar power ranks fourth globally. And the exciting discovery of millions of tonnes of lithium reserves and other rare earths earlier this year means that India will transition to EVs faster than expected, reduce carbon emissions in six years and possibly achieve “net zero” by 2070.
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More than 40 countries want to join BRICS. Expansion will be a hot topic at the summit in South Africa. India seems against it. But why is India reluctant?
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India’s former BRICS sherpa Sanjay Bhattacharyya explains:
“For BRICS, it is essential to recognise that we must consolidate our own energies, and that’s why, during our presidency, we emphasised that. Because if it becomes too widespread in terms of agenda, then you will not have the proper focus on development and peace and stability issues that we have. If you look at it today, in the multilateral system, we have the BRICS, we have the G20, we have the G7, so it would hardly make sense if the BRICS were to become another voice for the G20.
But India and China share a tense border of more than 3000 km in length. Russia is in the global doghouse for the war in Ukraine. Is BRICS, then, a non-starter?
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“As a 21st-century construct, it has particular relevance. It happened at a time when the economic gravity had already shifted from across the Atlantic to Asia…. what it does is it synergises that trend that had happened, that economic shift which was followed by technological developments,” said Bhattacharyya.
“So one of the key areas of interest today is how we bring about globalisation in a beneficial way and can revive multilateralism. India has not only provided a lot regarding values and principles to the idea of BRICS but has gained a lot because it has been able to build collaboration, not only within BRICS but also in the extended community,” he added.
India has a unique standing in the global community, particularly in the global south for its credentials.
One of India’s greatest strengths is that 50% of its population is under the age of 25. Now, if BRICS as an organisation coalesces and comes together, the youth of India will benefit both the organisation and the rest of the world.
