That is the central premise of Infosys Co-founder Nandan Nilekanis upcoming book Imagining India: Ideas for the New Century, which is slated for release on November 24.
Nilekani, who has been a key player in Indias growth story, points out that the countrys 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.
Indias 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, Indias 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 worlds 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 Indias schools, Infrastructure, Indias 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 dont. 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.
Well known as for his contribution to Indian IT sector, and now in policy reforms too, Nandan Nilekani was born in Bangalore in 1955. Nilekanis growing-up years were marked with volatility, owing to his fathers frequent job transfers and re-locations. Nandan later got into IIT, Bombay where he studied electrical engineering. Those were the days when the computer was not known. The only realistic option available was electrical engineering, he says.
Nandan has often publicly acknowledged the role that his years at IIT, Bombay have played in shaping his attitude and his value-system. In his address as the Chief Guest at a convocation ceremony at IIT, Bombay, he mentioned that apart from providing a superb academic education, the IITs instilled in him a code of conduct that he was to live by for the rest of his life. But the early years at the IIT proved to be a little difficult in social terms - In those days, a very different kind of person went to the IITs. It was all the sophisticated big city guys and at the time, I was a gawky 18-year-old from a small town unused to and unaware of the big city life. However, he started working on what he had quickly recognized as his core strength: his organizational ability. I realized I was good at organizing things. So I got involved in organizing Mood Indigo and other such events. I became a quizzer and in my final year I was the general secretary of the IIT.
On finishing his term at IIT, Bombay in 1978, Nandan did not try and find himself a job abroad something he attributes to sheer inertia. He did consider applying for an MBA course, but even that fell through when he was taken ill on the eve of the CAT exam!
Then, Nandan went to Patni Computer Systems to try and find a job there. He was interviewed by N.R. Narayana Murthy the rapport was immediate and Murthy hired the young engineer right away; neither suspected at the time that the relationship would last long, and get etched in Indias corporate history.
Imagining India: Ideas for the New Century will be available in bookstores in India on November 24, 2008. Thats a book to certainly look forward to.
| Check Top MBA Colleges in India by Cities | | |
| Also Read Important Articles on MBA Admission | ||
| Top MBA Colleges in India | MBA Admission | MBA Entrance Exam |
| MBA Placements | MBA Ranking In India | GD Topics |
That is the central premise of Infosys Co-founder Nandan Nilekanis upcoming book Imagining India: Ideas for the New Century, which is slated for release on November 24.
Nilekani, who has been a key player in Indias growth story, points out that the countrys 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.
Indias 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, Indias 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 worlds 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 Indias schools, Infrastructure, Indias 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 dont. 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.
Well known as for his contribution to Indian IT sector, and now in policy reforms too, Nandan Nilekani was born in Bangalore in 1955. Nilekanis growing-up years were marked with volatility, owing to his fathers frequent job transfers and re-locations. Nandan later got into IIT, Bombay where he studied electrical engineering. Those were the days when the computer was not known. The only realistic option available was electrical engineering, he says.
Nandan has often publicly acknowledged the role that his years at IIT, Bombay have played in shaping his attitude and his value-system. In his address as the Chief Guest at a convocation ceremony at IIT, Bombay, he mentioned that apart from providing a superb academic education, the IITs instilled in him a code of conduct that he was to live by for the rest of his life. But the early years at the IIT proved to be a little difficult in social terms - In those days, a very different kind of person went to the IITs. It was all the sophisticated big city guys and at the time, I was a gawky 18-year-old from a small town unused to and unaware of the big city life. However, he started working on what he had quickly recognized as his core strength: his organizational ability. I realized I was good at organizing things. So I got involved in organizing Mood Indigo and other such events. I became a quizzer and in my final year I was the general secretary of the IIT.
On finishing his term at IIT, Bombay in 1978, Nandan did not try and find himself a job abroad something he attributes to sheer inertia. He did consider applying for an MBA course, but even that fell through when he was taken ill on the eve of the CAT exam!
Then, Nandan went to Patni Computer Systems to try and find a job there. He was interviewed by N.R. Narayana Murthy the rapport was immediate and Murthy hired the young engineer right away; neither suspected at the time that the relationship would last long, and get etched in Indias corporate history.
Imagining India: Ideas for the New Century will be available in bookstores in India on November 24, 2008. Thats a book to certainly look forward to.
| Check Top MBA Colleges in India by Cities | | |
| Also Read Important Articles on MBA Admission | ||
| Top MBA Colleges in India | MBA Admission | MBA Entrance Exam |
| MBA Placements | MBA Ranking In India | GD Topics |
Post liberalization of the 90s, India is in the middle of a huge transformational process, and only a safety net of ideas