‘The Economic DNA of Bharat’ Explores India’s Civilisational Economic Thinking for Viksit Bharat 2047

August 27, 2026

Chandigarh: What lies behind India’s remarkable ability to endure, rebuild, reinvent itself and move forward — is it merely the result of history, or is there a deeper thought and system embedded in the country’s civilisation? This is the central idea explored in Dr Monika B. Sood’s book, The Economic DNA of Bharat, published by Simon & Schuster India.

The book goes beyond conventional economic indicators such as GDP, budgets, fiscal deficit and growth rates to explore a fundamental question — what has made India economically resilient and what continues to drive its economic strength today?

During a media interaction with journalists, Dr Monika B. Sood, an Ayurveda expert, entrepreneur, political commentator and thinker, said the book comprises ten chapters that connect India’s civilisational past with its economic present and future. The book offers a distinct intellectual perspective on India’s transformation towards 2047.

Dr Sood said DNA is not merely a metaphor but the intellectual framework through which she has attempted to understand India’s economic journey. Governments, technology, currencies, markets and economic models may change, she said, but India’s civilisational DNA remains intact.

Dharma, Nirman And Atmanirbharta At Core Of India’s Economic DNA

According to Dr Sood, this enduring DNA can be understood through three key ideas — D for Dharma, N for Nirman and A for Atmanirbharta. These three values represent India’s commitment to ethics, nation-building and self-reliance.

The foreword to the book has been written by Union Law and Justice Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal. The book has also received messages and support from several prominent public figures, including Punjab Governor Gulab Chand Kataria, Union Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju, Union Minister for Panchayati Raj, Dairy and Animal Husbandry Prof. S.P. Singh Baghel, and Jatinder Pal Malhotra, among others.

In response to a question, Dr Sood said the book examines how enterprise, knowledge, community, resilience, innovation, inclusion, ethical prosperity and strategic autonomy have repeatedly taken new forms throughout India’s history.

She said that in ancient India, these tendencies were reflected through advanced systems of maritime trade and commerce, agriculture, medicine, knowledge, governance and community networks.

From Ancient Trade To Digital Public Infrastructure

Modern India, she said, expresses these same tendencies through digital public infrastructure, entrepreneurship, indigenous manufacturing, technological innovation, financial inclusion, defence capabilities, start-ups and strategic autonomy.

The book also attempts to understand the economy as a reflection of national psychology. According to Dr Sood, economies are shaped not only by capital, labour, productivity and government policies, but also by human behaviour — what societies value, how much they save and spend, what they create, what they share, how they experiment and how they perceive prosperity.

For this reason, the book establishes a distinctive connection between economics, history, psychology, civilisation, public policy and the study of the future. It presents India not merely as an economic system but as a civilisational economic personality and provides a framework to understand its journey towards ‘Viksit Bharat 2047’.

Dr Sood Links Book’s Inspiration To Father’s Intellectual Legacy

For Dr Sood, the exploration of the subject is also rooted in her personal life. She attributes much of her curiosity about the economy, society, national development and India’s role in the world to the intellectual influence of her late father, Paramjit Kumar.

His ideas and writings inspired her to look beyond immediate economic events and understand the deeper forces that shape nations and societies.

Her father’s intellectual legacy included ideas such as Fiscal Quantum and Integral Capitalism, which became an important part of Dr Sood’s own exploration of India’s economic character.

Concluding her remarks, Dr Sood said GDP can tell us how fast India is growing, while the Economic DNA seeks to understand how India repeatedly finds its way forward.