The expansion of aspiration is accompanied by another remarkable fact. India is one of the youngest countries in the world. This is both an asset and a challenge. It is an asset because a potential demographic dividend is in India's favour. If properly educated and harnessed, the supply of a talented labour force could propel India to great heights. On the other hand, if the education system does not meet this growing demand, India could face a potential social catastrophe. Societies are most vulnerable to social convulsion, not when they are poor, but when they are unable to manage the expectations of change. As policy makers we can have complicated arguments over all the things India needs to do to achieve its full potential. But the truth is simple: education, education, education. This is not the occasion to go into a detailed discussion of kind of education Indians will require. The challenge for Indian education will be to cater to different kinds of needs: basic skills that can allow millions of Indians to make the transition from agriculture to non agricultural employment; skills that enhance the average quality of our workforce; skills that produce innovation at all levels, but also skills that scale the highest peaks of knowledge.