‘Weeks where decades happen’: Why the Economic Survey turned to Lenin to explain today’s economy

The Economic Survey 2025-26 has drawn on an unexpected historical reference — Russian revolutionary Vladimir Ilyich Lenin — to describe the extraordinary pace of change reshaping the global economy. Quoting Lenin’s widely cited remark, “There are decades where nothing happens; and there are weeks where decades happen,” the Survey sets the tone for its assessment of a world marked by compressed timelines, overlapping crises, and sudden economic realignments.  

The reference is not ideological. Instead, it is used as a conceptual lens to explain why traditional assumptions about globalisation, trade, and economic stability are being upended — and why India’s development strategy must evolve accordingly.  

Why the Survey turns to Lenin  

The Survey argues that the global economy is currently experiencing “weeks where decades happen.” Supply chains are being redrawn by geopolitical tensions, technological breakthroughs such as artificial intelligence are disrupting labour and productivity, and climate shocks are altering growth trajectories. Financial markets, energy security and trade flows are increasingly influenced by political decisions rather than purely economic logic.  

In this environment, incremental policymaking is no longer sufficient. The Lenin quote, the Survey suggests, captures the urgency of governing in an era where shocks are faster, deeper and more interconnected than before. 

From swadeshi to strategic resilience  

Against this backdrop, the Survey traces India’s evolving economic philosophy. It notes that swadeshi, historically associated with self-reliance and domestic capability-building, remains relevant — but no longer as isolation or import substitution.  

Instead, swadeshi has evolved into strategic resilience: the ability to withstand global disruptions without retreating from international engagement. This includes reducing excessive dependence on a narrow set of countries for critical imports, strengthening domestic manufacturing capacity, and building buffers in areas such as energy, food security, semiconductors, pharmaceuticals and digital infrastructure.  

The emphasis, the Survey says, is not on shutting out global markets but on ensuring that external shocks — whether pandemics, wars or financial crises — do not derail long-term growth.  

Strategic indispensability: The next phase  

Crucially, the Survey argues that resilience alone is not enough. India’s longer-term objective is strategic indispensability — becoming so integral to global value chains, supply networks and emerging technologies that the world cannot afford to bypass it.  

This shift marks a move from defensive self-reliance to proactive global integration. The Survey highlights India’s expanding role in pharmaceuticals, digital public infrastructure, renewable energy, electronics manufacturing and services exports as early signs of this transition. By positioning itself as a reliable producer, trusted partner and large market, India aims to convert geopolitical fragmentation into economic opportunity.  

Strategic indispensability, the Survey notes, also strengthens India’s negotiating power in trade, technology and diplomacy, reducing vulnerability in a world where economics and geopolitics are increasingly intertwined.  

Policy agility in a “decades-in-weeks” era  

The Survey cautions that achieving this transformation requires institutional agility. In a world where “weeks can contain decades,” delays in reforms, infrastructure bottlenecks or regulatory uncertainty can impose disproportionate costs. Faster decision-making, coordinated policymaking and long-term investment planning are presented as essential to sustaining growth amid volatility.