India can challenge, catch up and possibly overtake China if it chooses to learn from the Chinese example and follow China's approach to poverty reduction and agricultural reforms. China and India are probably the fastest growing large economies that may well attain superpower status in the next decade, assuming things continue to go well for them. But, before becoming a superpower they may have to be called developed countries first, although these characteristics need not be mutually inclusive.

During my recent visit to China in October 2007, I found the country to be in a joyous mood emanating from the zeal of hosting the 2008 summer Olympics. Almost every commercial in the television used upcoming games as its theme. My collaborator, a university professor of Zhujaing University in Hanzhu city, two hours drive from Shanghai, asked me when I thought India would host the Olympic Games. It was a rather innocent question, but it puzzled me. I said in a cautious manner that India might probably in the year 2020.

"So India is 12 years behind China," he said. I retorted, "Well, that depends on where you look at. China is perhaps 60 years behind India in human rights and democracy." But seriously, can the progress of a nation be predicted based on the major events they are able to organize and host? Even if we discount the human rights and democracy factors, in which China seems to be doing rather poorly, how far are we lagging behind when compared to China?

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