That is the central premise of Infosys Co-founder Nandan Nilekani's book 'Imagining India: Ideas for the New Century', which was released on November 24.
"India has unique advantages. The concepts of democracy, information technology, population or demography, globalisation, English and ideas are unique to us. No country in the world has all these six things together," Nilekani told MBAUniverse.com in an interview on the sidelines of the launch of his book in New Delhi on November 24. He was in the national capital on Monday for the launch of his book "Imagining India: Ideas for the New Century," which has been published by Penguin India.
Explaining how ideas have to firmly accept by the masses for impact, Nilekani said, "For instance, the idea of English in India began as a language of outsourcing by the British - forging a collective linguistic unity. But post-Independence, it became the language of imperialism. The same language, however, came back in the globalised era as the language of outsourcing."
Nilekani, who has been a key player in India's growth story, points out that the country's future rests on more than simply economic growth; it also depends on reform and innovation in all sectors of public life. Looking closely at recent developments, he examines the ideas and attitudes that have evolved with the times and contributed to our progress, as also those that keep us shackled into unproductive ways.
Divided in four broad parts, the book talks about 'Ideas that have arrived', 'Ideas in progress', 'Ideas in battle' and 'Ideas to anticipate'.
India's demographic dividend, The changing role of the entrepreneur, The adoption of English, The changing role of technology, Globalization, and The deepening of our democracy are some ideas that Nilekani believes that have changed India in recent times.
Talking about the changing role of the entrepreneur, Nilekani says in the book, "India's economic growth rate went from 3.5% in the 1950s to over 9% in 2006, and one of the key factors that drove this growth was the changing role of the entrepreneur. In the 1950s and the '60s, businesses were viewed with hostility; this attitude towards entrepreneurs started changing with the cautious steps towards reform in the 1980s, the big bang economic shift of 1991, and the changes that reform and globalization have brought about since 2000. Today, India has among the world's largest pool of entrepreneurial talent, and Indian businesses have evolved from working in a constrained economy to competing in global markets."
What are some of the big ideas that are "in progress" in India? The challenge for India's schools, Infrastructure, India's cities and India as a single market are four such ideas that are in transition.
'Conflicting political ideologies', Labor reforms and Higher education are three ideas that Nilekani says that are being contested and fought right now. Talking about Higher Education, Nilekani says, "The importance of higher education is well-established in Indian society. However, conflicts still arise between those who want more private funding in higher education and those who don't. And our regulatory frameworks have created colleges and universities that struggle to impart education well, even as the demand for higher education has become unprecedented."
Finally, what are some of the big ideas of future that we must all watch out for? Nilekani expects that technology will have a big role to play. Focus on Health, Democracy and technology in India, Pensions and entitlements, Environment and Energy is what Nilekani recommends.
