I call it the Chinese “bamboo growth model”: years of invisible effort spent building foundations, followed by growth so rapid that it looks sudden only to those who were not watching the roots. Explaining that gap takes more than admiring China’s growth rates or lamenting India’s shortfalls. According to the National Family Health Survey (2019-21), 35.5% of Indian children under five are stunted, 19.3% are wasted, and 32.1% are underweight. The inevitable journey to the bamboo growth modelThe comparison points to a simple lesson, however unfashionable it may be to draw one. The National Education Policy of 2020 belatedly gestures towards the Chinese approach, promising vocational training, early-childhood care and skills-based learning.