Talk about some of the other countries that have achieved developed country status, and what has their journeys been like, and what could we maybe not learn, but at least observe from them?

Yeah.

I think that's a very important question which we fail to ask.

Now, Throughout history from 1950 onwards, only, and let me give the full answer, only two developing countries, that is Korea and Taiwan, have reached developed country status.

since 1950.

Obviously there are several other countries that have and most if not all of them are formerly Eastern Europe.

So your classic comparable country by a long margin are Korea and Taiwan.

Why is that?

But that's not happening, so wh- what are they waiting for?

You know, the key element about the Indian system as to why it is at a standstill, and a standstill with a 6% growth, so don't quote me wrong.

I mean, I believe we're doing well, so well that we are, everybody in it is comfortable.

Okay? So we are all very comfortable with what we have achieved or what we can achieve, et cetera, but there is no ambition.

There is no strive to go forward.

Again, it gets to risks and rewards.

Why do we make...

Mm.

If the rupee was, let's say, at 84 to the dollar, which it was not too long ago, or even stronger than that, do you think we would have been responding similarly? Or would we have been even looking at all the issues that we're looking at, including long term, medium term and short term?

You know, I think, and I've seen, you know, some very senior economists who I respect a lot, Geeta Gopinath, as well as Arvind Panagiri have pointed out, as to what to do with a very immediate situation, which is let the dollar, and both of them are arguing, let the dollar be free, or let the rupee be free, and it will automatically get back to normal once the crisis is passed.

And if I can use that as a departure, they are two very, very senior economists, and I know both of them, and I have a lot of respect for both of them.

However, my question to you, and perhaps we can discuss, let us say that the war ended today and the oil prices came down tomorrow.

Now, my entire article and all the data has to do with what happened prior.

So in other words, that doesn't solve anything, in my view.

Nothing.

So the larger question really is, why is that distorting the overall picture so much, even illustratively?