India had the solution to its energy crisis in 1955 — but ignored it for 70 years.

Added: 2026-06-02

[00:00:01]India ignored its biggest energy weapon for 70 years. Imagine this. Every time a war breaks out in West Asia, India starts panicking. Will petrol price increase? Will LPG become expensive? Or there will be an inflation rise and every time India faces the same uncomfortable reality.

[00:00:24]We are still heavily dependent on imported oil and gas. But what if I told you that India had a solution to this problem nearly 70 years ago? A solution proposed in 1955. A solution that could have reduced our dependence on foreign energy. A solution that was ignored.

[00:00:46]This is the fascinating story of Dr. Sayyad Hussein Zahil, a scientist who saw India's energy future decades before policy makers did. Hello friends, I am Aloc Oak and you're watching Yugaswar.

[00:01:01]Let's go to year 1955.

[00:01:05]India was a young nation trying to industrialize. We had enormous coal reserves but very little oil. At that time Dr. Syad Hussein Zahir, a renowned scientist from Hyderabad proposed a bold idea to Prime Minister Jawar Lu. He suggested that India should convert its vast coal reserves into fuel gas through a technology called coal glass gasification. His argument was simple.

[00:01:38]Why remain dependent on imported oil when India has abundant coal? This was not a fantasy. Friends, countries in Europe and America were already using coal gasification commercially. But despite the vision, the proposal never received political backing. Friends, governments focused on conventional coal mining and petroleum based development.

[00:02:09]The files moved, decisions happened, but the mission never took off.

[00:02:16]So Zahir continued to push the idea and even started a pilot project letter through CI through CSIR.

[00:02:25]Unfortunately was funding challenges, equipment delays and bureaucracy slowed everything down. When his tenure ended the project lost momentum so an India moved on or so it thought. Then came 1973.

[00:02:45]The world was hit by a massive oil crisis. Price skyrocketed. Countries dependent on imported fuel suffered and India was one of them. Suddenly policy makers realized what Zahed had worn about years earlier. A remarkable admission. The then prime minister Indra Gandhi later acknowledged that had India acted on Zahi's proposal earlier country would have faced the oil crisis with far less difficulty. Think about that a strategic opportunity was identified decades in advance yet India failed to act.

[00:03:27]And even after this realization coal gasification never became national priority. Successive governments discussed it, but discussions never became execution.

[00:03:40]Now, fast forward to today. The ongoing instability in West Asia is once again shaking global energy markets. Oil prices remains vulnerable. LG supplies faces uncertainty. Global supply chains are under pressure and India still imports around 85% of its crude oil requirements. That is a strategic risk.

[00:04:06]This is why coal gasification is back in focus. India possesses world of India possesses one of the world's largest coal reserves. Using modern gasification technology, coal can be converted into synthetic gas, methanol, ammonia, hydrogen and industrial fuel. In simple terms, India can use its own resource to reduce dependence on imported energy.

[00:04:34]Recognizing this, the government of India launched the national coal gasification mo mission.

[00:04:41]Recognizing this, the Modi government launched the national coal gasification mission. The target is ambitious. Gasify 100 million tons of coal by 2030.

[00:04:53]Thousands of kores being invested. Coal India and BHL are working together to build domestic capabilities. The goal is not just industrial growth. The goal is strategic autonomy. And because energy security is no longer an economic issue, it is a national security issue.

[00:05:15]There is a lesson hidden in this story.

[00:05:18]India did not lack resource. India did not lack scientists. India did not back vision. What India lacked was timely execution. Dr. Sayyad Hussein Zah saw the challenge in 1955.

[00:05:34]The country is acting on it only now.

[00:05:38]History often reward nations that act promptly and early and it punishes those who ignore strategic foresight. The real question is not whether Zahir was right.

[00:05:51]History has already answered that. The real question is how many visionaries are warning us today about future challenges that we are still ignoring because the next crisis may not give us another 70 years to learn the lesson. So friends, if you have enjoyed this video, do like, share and subscribe to Yugaswar because understanding policy is not just about politics. It is about understanding the future of India. Jin