Right now, one more adversity that we are facing is the trade and tariff issue. Many things are being done in an attempt to globally isolate India. But the nation is on an upsurge. We have risen beyond that point where we can be bullied into doing things which are against the national well-being. – Sadhguru
When the British left after 200 years of occupation, they not only took our wealth but also dismantled our education, industry and many other systems that were crucial to build the nation back. The last few decades since Independence have been a struggle, but today, Bharat is taking its place in the comity of nations once again.
In 1947, our economy was just two per cent of the world’s economy, our literacy was seven per cent, the industry had been systematically broken, markets destroyed, and the average life expectancy was 28 years.
Our trade routes to Europe, Central Asia and Southeast Asia, which were very active for over 6,000-7,000 years, were cut off by Partition and we became an island. All our trade had to happen through the ocean. But because trade was crippled, we became a major information technology power.
Today, we are the fourth largest economy, our life expectancy is at 73 years and in technology, space and many other areas, we have grown phenomenally in spite of various kinds of sabotage that has happened. So, we have used every adversity to see how to benefit and grow.
At this time, there are many challenges we face as a nation including global economic fluctuations, and domestic issues around faith, caste and regional identity. But challenges should never be seen as setbacks; they are fodder for growth. When challenges are thrown at us, it is the time to rise.
Right now, one more adversity that we are facing is the trade and tariff issue. Many things are being done in an attempt to globally isolate India. But the nation is on an upsurge. We have risen beyond that point where we can be bullied into doing things which are against the national well-being. We are 1.4 billion people with over 60 per cent below 35 years of age and there is a palpable sense of vibrancy and confidence in the country.
This trade issue is going to be a little more than painful, but it is not the end all for India. We have various opportunities. Above all, these realities may change because negotiations are going on about settling the Ukraine-Russia issue. If that is settled, then this trade issue will also be settled. But we should not fall back into the complacency of trying to be friends with one power or the other. We must build multilateral relationships. We are already doing that, but we need to do it more aggressively. Not depending on any one nation for our well-being is very important.
I was asked in a recent interview, “Is this an opportunity for India to become a linchpin?” If we want to become a linchpin, people should see that the linchpin is strong enough for them to hang on to. Economically, we are not that kind of a strength right now where we can call ourselves a linchpin, not just globally but even for the region. It is beginning to happen, but we are not yet there. In the next three to five years, we have to grow that strength.
Currently, we probably have just three or four states doing well. We need at least ten to fifteen states doing really well. If 15 states are booming economically, then the nation will really move forward.
For the world, we have an advantage that geographically, we are in a strategically sensitive and important location. We must leverage that in the best possible way. I am sure that that wisdom is very much there in the government.
Right now, the nation is poised on the threshold of a possibility. The whole world recognises that, but there is a distance between possibility and reality. It is time for every individual, whatever sphere of life they are in, whatever responsibility one holds or influence one has, to stand up and make it happen. Just the governments or some leader cannot do it. Every citizen has to do it! Let us make it happen. – News18, 31 August 2025
› Ranked amongst the fifty most influential people in India, Sadhguru Jaggi Vasudev is a yogi, mystic, visionary and a New York Times bestselling author. Sadhguru has been conferred the Padma Vibhushan by the Government of India in 2017, the highest annual civilian award, accorded for exceptional and distinguished service. He is also the founder of the world’s largest people’s movement, Conscious Planet– Save Soil, which has touched over 4 billion people.
Filed under: india, USA | Tagged: BJP government, economic growth, indian economy, indian history, trump's tariffs |
BHARATA BHARATI 
“Colossal Blunder”: US Expert On Trump’s India Tariffs – Asian News International – NDTV World News – Washington – Sept 02, 2025
John Mearsheimer, a leading American international relations expert and Professor of Political Science at the University of Chicago, has termed the Trump administration’s India policy a “colossal blunder” and asserted that secondary tariffs on India for buying Russian oil “won’t work.”
“This is a colossal blunder on our part. It’s hard to believe, but what’s going on here? It (secondary sanctions) won’t work with India. The Indians have made it clear that they will not cut off the importation of oil from Russia. Indians are not going to cave,” he told the podcast platform “Daniel Davis Deep Dive” last week.
Mearsheimer also accused Trump of “poisoning” a “terrific” relationship with India.
“So, when Trump moved into the White House this past January, relations between the United States and India were really terrific, and for the purposes of containing China, which is our principal foreign policy mission, having good relations with India is essential. But what’s happened since then and now with these secondary sanctions is [that] we have poisoned relations with India,” he added.
He also pointed to a recent German newspaper report claiming that the US president had unsuccessfully tried to reach Prime Minister Narendra Modi on four separate occasions.
“The Indians are furious with us, almost to a person. Trump has tried to call Modi four times, and Modi refuses to talk to him. And furthermore, Modi is moving closer to the Chinese, and he’s moving closer to the Russians. So, this not only does it work, but it’s indeed counterproductive. Nevertheless, here we are,” he explained.
Mearsheimer targeted Peter Navarro, the White House Senior Advisor on Trade and Manufacturing, for leading a failed strategy that does not have a “happy ending.”
“There’s nobody out there who’s applauding this move, except for people like Peter Navarro. I don’t understand what the story is as to how this has a happy ending. Are they going to make the argument that India is going to cave, that we have coercive leverage over India to the point where we can bring the Indians to their knees? Is that the argument? I don’t know anybody who believes that, and everything India has done so far says that argument is wrong,” he added.
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50% Tariffs On India As Trump Could Not Mediate India-Pakistan Conflict: Jefferies – Anushree Jonko – NDTV World News – Aug 29, 2025
The reason the United States slapped steep 50 per cent tariffs on India is because President Donald Trump was not allowed to mediate in the India-Pakistan conflict, according to a report by American multinational investment bank and financial services company Jefferies.
The report stated that such high unprecedented tariffs were a “consequence” of Trump’s “personal pique” and that he reportedly hoped to intervene in the May conflict between the two South Asian nuclear powers.
“Tariffs are primarily the consequence of the American president’s personal pique that he was not allowed to play a role in seeking to end the long-running acrimony between India and Pakistan,” the report noted.
India has repeated that it does not welcome interventions by other countries in conflicts with Pakistan.
Trump has claimed on multiple occasions that he ended several conflicts around the world including the one between India and Pakistan with the White House claiming that he should be awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.
“It’s well past time that President Trump was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize,” White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt had said in July.
Earlier this year, he posted on Truth Social, “I will work with you both to see if, after a thousand years, a solution can be arrived at, concerning Kashmir.” The mediation offer hit a raw nerve with India.
Despite facing the prospect of heavy economic costs, India held on to its “red line” of no third-party intervention.
Another point that the report stated drove home the tariffs was agriculture. It highlighted that no Indian government has agreed to open up the agriculture sector to imports in order to protect its farmers.
About 250 million farmers and labourers depend on agriculture for their livelihoods. 40 per cent of the workforce in India is employed in agriculture.
US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent had remarked earlier this month that India has been a “bit recalcitrant” on trade negotiations with the US.
Responding to the tariffs, India had said that the targeting of India is “unjustified and unreasonable”.
The Jefferies report warned that pushing India risks it being close to China. The two countries will also resume direct flights after five years from September.
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