There’s goodness around and, somewhere, it promises a complete overhaul and elevation of the Indian socio-economic fabric. Yet, sometimes I feel disappointed by the disruptions that break the momentum. On good days, I don’t stop myself from imagining whether the entire 1.4 billion nation of ours could take a stride for evolution together. If everyone, after an introspection and assessment, worked on the one thing that will make them more skillful, create employment with dignity and give access to opportunity, we would be steps closer to a situation where no man is left behind.
The problems in the country have changed. About fifteen years ago, as our generation was entering mainstream work, the biggest deterrent was definitely corruption. We were sad about that and it could happen anywhere and of any level. Our role models were corrupt themselves – global, national, and at a community level. Suddenly you’d realize that your rich friend’s family never paid taxes throughout his schooling and they had three SME units which they never grew to save through tax exemptions. Your bus conductor could cheat you or your guide at a museum would skip your tour. The teachers taught better during tuitions at home and not at schools. The Lehman Brothers crash impacted the Indian economy badly; our jobs were taken away. We, in fact, had just lived through the biggest and the most ridiculous Commonwealth Games scam. Today, the problems are different from corruption. They are more individual than what is expected from the authority. The system is no longer the only villain in the room, we are now equally accountable to ourselves. Technology has brought in decentralization and there’s less reliance on people. Credibility can be verified in the fastest time before a decision is taken. In fact, that’s the Gen Z psychology that’s given marketers shivers at night. They rely on research and validation. If the product doesn’t fulfill that criterion, it’s dropped on the counter mercilessly.
Today, what India strives for is to complete what they don’t have. It is no more about acceptance of fate. It’s about the ways and means to get things done in our favour. The Means is the End theory of Mohandas is long lost and what India only sees is innovation, frugal or otherwise. Whether that is a moral compromise or simply an evolution of survival instinct, it’s a debate we rarely pause to have now. I can also fondly call it resilience. There’s plenty of it in us Indians. And, it’s this pride that we have about us now where we look into each other’s eyes and converse. Of course, with access to opportunities and democratization of resources, there is a mind without fear while the head is held high.
And nowhere is this more tangible than in the corridors of India’s new economic geography. Shunting between Hyderabad and Bangalore often, I see the transformation of India’s socio-economic landscape. We are seeing professionals in their 30s managing billion-dollar Profit and Loss (P&L) and directing global digital transformations, which has birthed a demographic that is unapologetically aspirational. The Global Capability Centers (GCCs) effect has turned the dormant suburbs into zonal-economies springing with life. When thousands of high-earning, globally-exposed professionals congregate in a specific geography, the surrounding ecosystem transforms to meet their standards. We see a surge in premium housing, specialized healthcare, and quality education. But what I am clairvoyant about is the decentralization of this wealth. As Tier-1 cities hit a saturation point, GCCs are beginning to anchor themselves in Tier-2 cities, effectively spreading prosperity. It is reassuring that in the years to come, the kid in Kochi or Ahmedabad won’t have to migrate to India’s Silicon Valleys to build world-class products.
This shift didn’t happen overnight. The hyper-acceleration we are witnessing right now is the result of three forces coming together. The global corporate panic collided with Indian intellectual maturity and along came Generative AI and automation. Every global Fortune 500 company realized they needed to build and scale complex enterprise tech instantly or risk obsolescence. India was the only geography on the planet offering both the sheer scale of talent and the deep, specialized expertise required to pilot these next-generation technologies.
In the near future the Indian society will become more meritocratic because GCCs, by their very nature, demand excellence over legacy. Meritocracy or aspiration for excellence is the engine of the new India. The irony? The domain most resistant to this shift Governs all others. At times, it gets overwhelming to witness futile disruptions, just like gladiators stealing focus from critical national issues. I dearly wish this meritocratic sensibility comes into Political and Governmental India as well. Across many forums I have shared that there could be an entrance test for these Netas, which is not dependent on their clout but on their credentials. These man-made disruptions need to stop, and a unified national goal needs to be brought in so the benefits of success reach the last mile.
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