Suggested citation: Ahmed, Awais, Kunalika Gautam, Niharika Mehrotra, Prachi Shevgaonkar, Nandini Harihar, Ruchira Goyal, Dhruvak Aggarwal, Gunraagh Singh Talwar, Dhairya Nagpal, Saikot Sukla, Radhika Bajoria and Anoushka Sinha. 2024. India in Future Tense: 47 words for 2047. New Delhi: Council on Energy, Environment and Water and the United Nations Foundation.
India in 2047: what does our future look like? India, as a global power in health, technology, innovation, and leading sustainably, requires a language to match its aspirations. The Next Generation India Fellows have created India in Future Tense: 47 Words Shaping 2047, a groundbreaking dictionary that captures the trends and ideas defining India in 2047.
Designed by and for youth, it identifies the concepts, innovations, and values that will lead us into India’s centennial. Through a youth-centered national town hall, focus group discussions, and interviews, this dictionary has emerged as a blueprint for tomorrow’s vocabulary—a tool for translating ambition into action.
It spans themes, from food, ocean, energy, health, technology, the future of the workforce, climate action, and more, forecasting phenomena like the Yottabyte Era. It celebrates uniquely Indian innovations, such as Digital Public Infrastructure, and explores transformative advances like bioprinting and pharmacogenomics. Each of the 47 words is a step toward a future that is inclusive, bold, and driven by youthful energy.
India in Future Tense isn’t just a collection of words—it’s a manifesto for the future, written by those who will inherit it. It’s a testament to India’s ambition, resilience, and promise as it prepares to turn 100.
Acknowledgment: The authors of this dictionary would like to express their appreciation to Mr Narayana Murthy and Ms Sudha Murty for supporting this publication and their generous support to the United Nations Foundation Next Generation India Fellowship hosted by the Council on Energy, Environment and Water (CEEW).
Young India is the pulse of a new world order, standing at the forefront of change, with over 52% of the Indian population under the age of 30.
Positioned to transform not just the nation but the global stage, this generation has the power to strengthen multilateralism, revitalise the United Nations, tackle climate crises, and bring the voice of the Global South - 88% of the world - into the spotlight.
The Next Generation India Fellows initiative is a partnership between the United Nations Foundation and the Council on Energy, Environment and Water (CEEW). Launched in line with India's G20 Presidency, the Fellowship puts young people at the forefront of shaping the country's future and solving the world's most pressing challenges, as they work closely with intergenerational changemakers globally to build consensus around a 'future agenda' for India.
11 Fellows, 1 Mission; securing the rights of future generations today.