- The Core
- Posts
- India at a Crossroads: Will the Next Generation Stay or Leave?
India at a Crossroads: Will the Next Generation Stay or Leave?
The Weekend Playlist
In partnership with
Good Morning,
India’s future rests on its next generation — but are we setting them up to win? Students are flying abroad for opportunities our campuses don’t yet offer. The demographic dividend is fading as jobs fail to match talent. And inside business families, the coming wealth handover will decide who leads India Inc. tomorrow.
This Week on The Core: three big themes collide into one urgent question — can India build the systems in education, employment and leadership that keep its best talent here and help it thrive?
WEEKEND EDITION
The Great Higher-Ed Migration — And What India Must Fix
Indian students are not deterred by tougher visas, rising costs, or uncertain foreign job markets. They’re leaving anyway.
And the uncomfortable question is why home-grown universities still can’t match what even an average community college abroad offers.
This week on The Core Report Weekend Edition, Govindraj Ethiraj sits down with Pramath Raj Sinha — founder of Ashoka University and founding dean of the Indian School of Business — to break down the fundamentals of building world-class universities in India.
What’s driving students out?
A chronic demand-supply mismatch, uneven campus experience, limited academic freedom, governance stretched thin, and a funding model that hasn’t kept pace with India’s demographic surge.
The uncomfortable reality
To build an 8,000–10,000 student, globally competitive university, India needs:
patient capital, not quick returns
academic freedom that survives reputational risk
scale without mediocrity
leadership that outlives the founders
If India wants to harness its demographic dividend instead of exporting it, building great universities becomes not a cultural project — but an economic one.
🎧 New episode streaming now.
INDIA ENERGY WEEK 2026
India Energy Week returns for its 4th edition from 27–30 January 2026 in Goa, held under the patronage of the Ministry of Petroleum & Natural Gas and co-organised by FIPI and DMG Events.
As India advances its role in the global energy transition, the event will bring together policymakers, industry leaders and innovators to shape practical pathways toward a secure, sustainable and affordable energy future.
IEW 2026 will spotlight India’s leadership in balancing energy access with decarbonisation, while showcasing strategic investments, emerging technologies and global partnerships driving the next era of energy progress.
HOW INDIA’S ECONOMY WORKS
The Demographic Window Is Closing — Can India Still Cash In?
India’s youth population has long been described as its biggest economic advantage. But what if the clock is ticking — and the payoff hasn’t arrived yet?
In this episode, journalist and author Puja Mehra sits down with Economist Arjun Jayadev, co-author of a major new study unpacking how the demographic dividend has actually contributed to economic growth across Indian states. The findings offer a striking — and sometimes unsettling — picture of why some regions prospered and others lagged.
Jayadev explains how GDP per capita can be decomposed into three forces:
Productivity
Employment
Demographics
Tune in now for a clear-eyed look at India’s most urgent economic question: Can it turn its young population into lasting prosperity before the window closes?
THE CORE QUIZ
What’s the name of the app that the central government rolled out then pulled back after public pressure? |
MESSAGE FROM OUR SPONSOR
Banish bad ads for good
Your site, your ad choices.
Don’t let intrusive ads ruin the experience for the audience you've worked hard to build.
With Google AdSense, you can ensure only the ads you want appear on your site, making it the strongest and most compelling option.
Don’t just take our word for it. DIY Eule, one of Germany’s largest sewing content creators says, “With Google AdSense, I can customize the placement, amount, and layout of ads on my site.”
THE TEAM
✍️ Zinal Dedhia, Kudrat Wadhwa | ✂️ Rohini Chatterji | 📹️ Maitrayee Iyer | 🎧 Joshua Thomas
🤝 Reach 80k+ CXOs? Partner with us.
✉️ Got questions or feedback? Reach out.
💰 Like The Core? Support us.
