Thursday, January 21, 2010

India – Expect, Explore, Experience

As IIM Lucknow gears up to host its annual management fest (incidentally named Manfest) here are my two cents on the theme of the fest: India – Expect, Explore, Experience.


15th August 1947, Jawaharlal Nehru addressed the nation, “At the stroke of the midnight hour, when the world sleeps, India will awake to life and freedom. A moment comes, which comes but rarely in history, when we step out from the old to the new, when an age ends, and when the soul of a nation, long suppressed, finds utterance.” Today, with 62 years of freedom behind us, the moment has come yet again when India steps into the future with a lot to expect, explore and experience.


Expect the ‘Sone ki Chidiya’ to fly to greater heights on its way to becoming the next superpower, to grow by leaps and bounds across sectors especially R&D, pharmaceuticals, BFSI, telecom and to go global shopping – far beyond JLR, Corus, Novelis and Betapharm. Expect the services industry to fuel the future growth of the economy as well as generate employment even in rural India. Expect the fortune at the bottom of the pyramid to guild India’s success story.


Explore the hearts and minds of Indians and what you will notice is a pent up energy waiting to explode. Explore ‘Incredible India’ crowned by the Himalayas in the north and the backwaters of God’s own country in the South and you will be amazed how this nation of over a billion dreams and diverse opinions still manages to “get things done”.


Experience the beat of micro-entrepreneurship in every Indian – right from the vegetable vendor with his mobile phone to the NRI with his new software venture based out of Bangalore. Experience the melting pot of diverse cultures, religions and traditions, of the old and the new, of the brain and the brawn, and of kama and karma.


India – Intellect, Intensity and Inquisitiveness!