Soon after this article appears, on February 1, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman will present her eighth Budget (six annual and two interim budgets). She will not fail to remind us of India’s economic achievements on her watch. From navigating the global financial crisis to rebounding strongly after the disruptions of COVID-19, the resilience of our economy is undeniable. Between 2016 and 2023, startups alone contributed a staggering 10–15 percent to GDP growth, underscoring their role as the driving force behind India’s economic engine. According to the Confederation of Indian Industry, these entrepreneurial ventures are projected to generate a trillion dollars for the economy and create fifty million new jobs by the fiscal year 2029–2030.

This remarkable trajectory of growth and innovation owes much to a transformative moment in India’s history, guided by the luminous intellect and steadfast resolve of a statesman whose loss we mourn today, whose vision reshaped the nation’s destiny. In 1991, Dr. Manmohan Singh, then Finance Minister, stood in Parliament and declared that “no power on earth could stop an idea whose time had come.” With those words, he not only heralded a new economic dawn but also embodied a quiet, unyielding determination to steer India out of the shadows of stagnation and into an era of global relevance.

Today, as we reflect on his profound legacy, we are met with the solemn reality of his passing at the end of the year—a loss that resonates deeply across the nation. Dr. Singh was more than the architect of India’s economic resurgence; he was a living testament to the enduring Idea of India, one rooted in service, intellect, and compassion. His reforms........

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