Has 2006 been the best year India has ever had? Has the India storey finally become a reality? Are these the times India will see for many many years to come? Is India really Shining? Will it continue to shine?
There are many factors we need to consider. Tata's get a 8bn Dollar financing to buy Corus. And if that was not enough, Morgan Stanley finances 10bn Dollars for Hutch acquisition. And Essar is nowhere close to top of the corporate heap in India. Essar went through a painful financial restructuring. And Hutch has no export revenue. It is purely an Indian venture. Clearly Global Financial Community is looking at India very closely.
And these two are not isolated incidents. UK's house of Commons debated at length the India China threat. Thailand had appointed a leading consulting company to advise the government on how to fight the Indian threat. This was before the military coup in that country.
The economy has never grown at this pacew ever. While the government figures indicate that our GNP is growing at 8.5%, we may in reality be growing at over 10%. That's just a shade below China. And with most Western Economies battling their own devils, India seems to be galloping ahead.
The campaign may have broken earlier, but the storey continues. Watch this space
Thursday, December 28, 2006
Political Class
Three weeks age we were discussing about creative class in India. Much has been discussed, researched and published about this wonderful concept called creative class. But in a fast developing country like India, the real differenbce can be made not by a strong or thriving creative class, but by a strong and thriving Political Class. The problem we face In India is that we have a very thriving Political Class, but do we really have a strong political class?
I am not trying to say that in general our politicians are corrupt. That is a global reality, almost like perk of job. The shades of corrupt practices may have different hues in many countries, but they are there.
The issue in India is really a lack of willingness to rise above the small issues and do what theya re supposed to do. They are supposed to govern, supposed to lead, supposed to set the agenda. They are supposed to lead.
And that is precisely what they dont do. Resisting industrialization in a state not becaise thay have good of local population in mind, but because it will weaken them in the immediate term. They dont want development to happen, not because they have their constituencies good in mind, but becasue development can mean weakening of 'political' class.
what they often fail to realise is that world does not live by set codes and ruloes. Co9des and rules evolve and change. The political class needs to wake up to this reality and do what they are supposed to do. Lead.
A strong political class is a must for country like India, and that can lead to a really strong and thriving creative class
I am not trying to say that in general our politicians are corrupt. That is a global reality, almost like perk of job. The shades of corrupt practices may have different hues in many countries, but they are there.
The issue in India is really a lack of willingness to rise above the small issues and do what theya re supposed to do. They are supposed to govern, supposed to lead, supposed to set the agenda. They are supposed to lead.
And that is precisely what they dont do. Resisting industrialization in a state not becaise thay have good of local population in mind, but because it will weaken them in the immediate term. They dont want development to happen, not because they have their constituencies good in mind, but becasue development can mean weakening of 'political' class.
what they often fail to realise is that world does not live by set codes and ruloes. Co9des and rules evolve and change. The political class needs to wake up to this reality and do what they are supposed to do. Lead.
A strong political class is a must for country like India, and that can lead to a really strong and thriving creative class
Thursday, December 7, 2006
Creative Class In India
India when it got its independence in 47 was an agrarian economy. Agriculture contributed to over 70% of GDP. In 2005, agriculture was down to 30%, and 40% loss of agriculture was made up, or almost made up by services sector. May be there is a hidden tale of creative class in here. It looks like that the new resonance of India has come from those who made the services sector rock!
Among those who are at the top of this pyramid is the entertainment industry. And not so much the movie industry, but the television content industry. Daily soaps, its actors, writers, directors, technicians, have given rise to a phenomenal industry that now outperforms even the traditional advertising industry. And it is having some very interesting impact on some connected and some unconnected areas
The boom in television serials has lead to another boom in fashion industry in India. The desire to be always trendy is making people, and not just young people, but even people over 40 years to be extremely conscious of how they dress. From a miniscule smallish boutique industry that only catered to the elite, fashion industry has started to percolate down fairly rapidly
The second thing it has triggered is an explosive growth of beauty parlours. Much like fashion, grooming has now acquired a mainstream appeal, aided and abetted by television serials
The third thing it has triggered is the demand for jewelry. More so among women, who now dress up like the way they see their favorite stars dress up on television.
The second big trend is the rise of BPO industry, truly a concept created out of nowhere. BPO as a segment has transformed the youth in India. Jobs are now plenty, global opportunities have opened up for them, and suddenly there is a premium on talent. Again it is a big trend that is changing the length and breadth of India. It is one force that has redefined India.
As a culture India has is a very inventive country. Most of this inventiveness comes from lack of resources, slow percolation of development across the country, and abundance of natural resources. There is even a colloquial name for this inventiveness. It is called Jugad, literally meaning ‘inventive’
Among those who are at the top of this pyramid is the entertainment industry. And not so much the movie industry, but the television content industry. Daily soaps, its actors, writers, directors, technicians, have given rise to a phenomenal industry that now outperforms even the traditional advertising industry. And it is having some very interesting impact on some connected and some unconnected areas
The boom in television serials has lead to another boom in fashion industry in India. The desire to be always trendy is making people, and not just young people, but even people over 40 years to be extremely conscious of how they dress. From a miniscule smallish boutique industry that only catered to the elite, fashion industry has started to percolate down fairly rapidly
The second thing it has triggered is an explosive growth of beauty parlours. Much like fashion, grooming has now acquired a mainstream appeal, aided and abetted by television serials
The third thing it has triggered is the demand for jewelry. More so among women, who now dress up like the way they see their favorite stars dress up on television.
The second big trend is the rise of BPO industry, truly a concept created out of nowhere. BPO as a segment has transformed the youth in India. Jobs are now plenty, global opportunities have opened up for them, and suddenly there is a premium on talent. Again it is a big trend that is changing the length and breadth of India. It is one force that has redefined India.
As a culture India has is a very inventive country. Most of this inventiveness comes from lack of resources, slow percolation of development across the country, and abundance of natural resources. There is even a colloquial name for this inventiveness. It is called Jugad, literally meaning ‘inventive’
Forgiving Indians
Navjot Siddhu was a celebrated cricketer, a loudmouth outspoken commentator, and laugh at the drop of hat laughter show host. We can now add convicted for crime to this list. Shibu Soren was a minister in the union government, a leading light of the newly formed Jharkhand state, and is now serving life term for murder. And what is the reaction of the man on street?
'Poor guy'!
Its not that people pity them or want to shun them, they actually have sympathy for them.
Lets add one more name to list, Rahul Mahajan. He was admitted for drug overuse and was bought back from death only because he was son of a prominent politician. And how do we again judge him?
Poor Guy!
Are we sympathetic of them because they are prominent people? So why dont we have sympathy for Jessica Lal's alleged killer, or Priyadarshini Matoo's killer? Is it because they are relatively unknown people?
So is it that we are more forgiving people who are famous and indifferent about people who are relatively unknown?
And is that how we treat our brands?
Forgiving and sympathetic about big brands and give them many chances. Indifferent and often against brands that are small or unknown? Is that the right way to treat brands?
No one can make a judgement on that, but it seems like a big reality. May be that defines Indian ness and Indian attitude. Till this doesnt change, I dont think the brands will take service very seriously.
May be we need to be a little more stern!
'Poor guy'!
Its not that people pity them or want to shun them, they actually have sympathy for them.
Lets add one more name to list, Rahul Mahajan. He was admitted for drug overuse and was bought back from death only because he was son of a prominent politician. And how do we again judge him?
Poor Guy!
Are we sympathetic of them because they are prominent people? So why dont we have sympathy for Jessica Lal's alleged killer, or Priyadarshini Matoo's killer? Is it because they are relatively unknown people?
So is it that we are more forgiving people who are famous and indifferent about people who are relatively unknown?
And is that how we treat our brands?
Forgiving and sympathetic about big brands and give them many chances. Indifferent and often against brands that are small or unknown? Is that the right way to treat brands?
No one can make a judgement on that, but it seems like a big reality. May be that defines Indian ness and Indian attitude. Till this doesnt change, I dont think the brands will take service very seriously.
May be we need to be a little more stern!
Tuesday, December 5, 2006
Planners at Grey India
This is the place where all the planners at Grey come together, share views and generally post their views on life. Eventually this place should become a place where we can interact with a variety of audiences. Let's make this a rocking place and further strengthen our position
Cheers
Cheers
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