India Today’s special issue of September 25, 2017 (on the 70th anniversary of India’s freedom) covers "70 visionaries who defined India” and Charan Singh is one of these great Indians. There is something to be said for the bastion of urban and elite interests accepting Charan Singh's relevance, and the importance of his views on an alternate economic development model for India. Like Gandhi, his economic philosophy - agriculture first, villages first, cottage and appropriate technology first; before the next logical step of industry and cities - are not discussed at all other than in limited academic circles. 

Ajay Vir Jakhar is Chairman of Bharat Krishak Samaj, http://www.ajayvirjakhar.com/, and wrote this introduction of which only a part was carried in India Today due to space restriction. The entire article is reproduced here, courtesy Ajay Jakhar.