India, June 2 -- Last Sunday, when the news broke that India had crossed the $4 trillion GDP mark, one could feel a sense of victory and jubilation. The news anchors went gaga over the numbers. Their passion was quite evident in their voices, which surpassed their normal pitch. The political circles, too, did not remain untouched. Hashtags like #IndiaShining and #4Trillion began trending on social media, accompanied by celebratory graphics.

And the cynic in this writer questioned, as always: What does it mean for the young migrant worker whom I met on a train last month, who was returning to his village, utterly disappointed and jobless? Or for the elderly woman in my neighbourhood who runs a roadside paan stall, earning barely a hundred...