Top 10 Signs of an Emerging & Entrepreneurial India

10/ Ambitious Youth

There is a stark contrast when one compares the youth of India to the youth of the west. To make a *vast* generalization (and in the hope that I don’t offend anyone), the majority of my peers graduating from top schools in the U.S. have a strong sense of entitlement. Most opt for jobs at established organizations in the hope that this will launch their careers – and most of these extremely qualified friends will either find themselves out of a job at various points in time or in a job where they are dissatisfied and looking to move. In India, one finds less of this sense of entitlement, but rather a generation of extremely driven and hungry youth. In fact, I would go as far to say that India suffers from the reverse problem of there being so many opportunities but not enough people of high calibre to fill the need. The most heartening trend has been seeing the speed at which the employees at our family’s company rise up the ranks – our office boy has learned to use the computer to take on data entry roles and our former business-savvy driver has graduated to a business sales role at PK Clean – to give a few examples. Our business school intern at PK Clean this summer was very energetic in his role – and since they are in vast supply, the monthly cost of employing these high calibre youth is still surprisingly less than what you would spend on a fancy dinner in New York City.

9/ Regionalism moving to “Indianism”

Some complain about the fragmentation of India– with its many regions and dialects. However, after spending the summer in 3 of 4 of India’s regions (the West, North and now South) – I find an increasing sense of commonality of experiences across these regions. A contributing factor to this is that now you find chains across the country, a phenomenon which you did not find a decade ago. You also find an extremely high amount of travel between the cities of India– while I’ve been here I’ve used virtually every mode of transportation available from local trains, buses and planes, to scooters and rickshaws. Every form of transport is flooded with people and this high level of commuting between regions for work, education and leisure has helped contribute to reduced regional distinctions.

Previously, I had been worried about how India will compete at a global level when Indian corporations lack the quality standards of the West. From outsourcing my own website design to Indian firms to watching Indian entrepreneurs pitch at DFJ’s global business plan contest, I’ve observed that the standard is lower than what one finds abroad. However, I find it heartening that this weakness is now openly discussed by Indians, most recently at a developers’ conference I attended this week at IIMB. When I was working at Attero in Delhi, they were so acutely aware that their employees needed to improve the quality of their business communication that they even had me conduct a training session. That Indians are eager and looking to bridge these gaps is the first step needed to see change.

7/ Aspirational Consumers

Indians (and more broadly Asians) are often characterized as savers over spenders, and while value for money is still primary in buying decisions, I believe Indians are secondarily “aspirational” consumers. When our milk man heard that I would be coming from the U.S., the first thing he asked for was the latest iPhone. Yesterday I rode in a rickshaw, in which the driver had equipped a small screen and surround-sound speakers.  My driver, picking up the fact that I was a foreigner, put on a Hindi film dubbed in English for me to enjoy and charged me 10 Rupees extra, which I was happy to part with for the novelty factor. 

6/ Accommodating Outsiders ...

Formerly when I visited India, if I asked for anything non-standard such as splitting a restaurant bill or a cappuccino with skim milk, such requests would be met with a bewildered look. These may sound like very superficial preferences of a spoilt Capitalist, but the fact that at a restaurant this weekend our group of 6 expats succeeded in getting a split bill, at coffee stores I get my skim milk and free wifi, and that grocery stores are now filled with non-Indian favourites of mine such as couscous, granola and tofu, actually signals something at a much broader level about the rapidly adapting Indian consciousness. All my expat friends comment on how easy it is to talk to people here and form new relationships, and I believe that this is at the heart of India’s success; the openness of locals to get to know and accommodate people from around the globe.

5/.. Yet Staying true to Indianness

While Indians are accommodating the West, they are not compromising their Indianness to simply become a clone of the West. Unlikely other countries which are rife with 7-Eleven and Starbucks stores, you will not find such stores since local brands dominate. From low-end street markets, to mid-range stores like FabIndia, to high-end boutiques on Bombay’s Linking Road, you pleasantly find a distinct Indian style and design consciousness, which permeates all areas from fashion to film, music and art. 

4/ Social Responsibility towards Bottom of the Pyramid

Encouragingly, the energy and activism of this generation is not limited to the top of the pyramid. From doing community service at Bangalore’s Leprosy Hospital to interviewing the informal electronic waste sector in the slums of Delhi, I have been comforted by the fact that many young people are passionately dedicated to ensuring the transformation of the bottom of the pyramid. In Bangalore, in a major breakthrough for slum-dwellers, the informal e-waste sector has been able to secure a government license to ensure their livelihoods in processing e-waste. I met with various motivated people in Delhi dedicated to a similar mission for those in Delhi’s slums. Even the leprosy hospital I found filled with devoted practitioners who are willing to take personal risks in order to fight and eradicate leprosy in India, and such sights are truly inspiring. India is still in the early stages of embracing corporate social responsibility, but when one reads the brilliant efforts of Sudha Murthy of the Infosys Foundation (I’d highly recommend her Wise and Otherwise if you like short stories), it gives one hope that corporations and individuals alike are starting to take social responsibility more seriously.

3/ Spiritual Exporters

India’s spiritual strength has existed over centuries – and it is so intertwined with everyday life here, where it is normal to pass a few roadside rituals, temples, mosques and churches on a typical journey across town. Ashrams from Dharamsala and Rishikesh in the North to Aurobindo and Prashanti Nilayam in the South are filled with foreigners coming to India to fulfil their spiritual quench. At the Iyengar Institute in Pune where I was lucky enough to take classes, the waiting list for foreigners is 3-4 years.

2/ Brain Drain Reversal

Long gone are the days when every Indian’s dream was to get admitted to a foreign university – the ticket to a coveted job abroad. Now I am comforted to hear that even the most talented youth have no desire to leave India. Even those that leave to go to U.S. schools return immediately – and increasingly, to work on start-ups rather than at elite firms and funds. Indeed, even expats who have never previously lived in India, are now coming to Indian cities in large numbers to take on more senior and impactful roles than they would be able to find in the west. For those that return, not only are they able to avail of the great lifestyle which India now offers, but also have more meaningful and rewarding professional experiences.

1/ Constantly Communicating: Building a Vibrant Entrepreneurial Ecosystem

Coming from Stanford and MIT, I certainly have high standards of what I expect from an entrepreneurial ecosystem. From attending several entrepreneurial events here – such as business plan competitions, CleanTech forums, TIE events, conferences – I am encouraged to see the strong interest in entrepreneurship and the willingness of participants to not only brave it as entrepreneurs, but to also build their networks and find mentors and leads. The rising profile of the angel and VC community has been important, and I am impressed by the highly responsive rate of mentors who have been willing to help me grow my own business. 

India of course still has much progress to make across various social, government and economic spheres, but these encouraging trends suggest that India is moving forward in many respects. A major concern is that infrastructure continues to suffer from short-sightedness, shortcuts, and safety issues. While certain infrastructure additions such as the Delhi Metro, Worli Sea Link and the new airports have all been impressive to experience, they have been planned for yesterday rather than 5 years from now. If India is able to more rapidly handle its infrastructure issues, while taking on other social and environmental challenges more seriously, we could begin to see it transforming into a global leader in many new areas.