Even though things like solar energy are highly subsidized by the government, you won't find folks in cities using it.

Even though things like solar energy are highly subsidized by the government, you won't find folks in cities using it. But venture out - to places in the Himalayas or on islands in the mighty Brahmaputra - and you'll find plenty of people using solar panels connected to battery units to store electricity at daytime for use at night. Ironically, the spread of clean energy is being driven by the absence of power from the national grid.

Most forecasts about India's growth to 2020 are reassuringly positive. But that's no guarantee that this growth will take place and boost the well-being of more and more Indians. We'll need very smart policies geared to our peculiar needs, implemented well, to get us there.