India, March 22 -- In a small pin factory in 18th-century Scotland, Adam Smith saw the secret to prosperity. One worker drawing wire, another straightening it, a third cutting - together, producing far more than they would have had each of them done all the tasks themselves. From that simple observation emerged The Wealth of Nations, published in 1776, a work that continues to shape how nations think about growth, markets and the role of the State. Two hundred and fifty years on, India stands at a moment Smith would have found fascinating: A vast, ambitious economy balancing State intervention and market dynamism, global integration and inward caution. What would he make of it?

Smith would recognise something familiar in India's journey....