How big is India? That was an easy question to answer when I was growing up in Punjab - “India stretched from Kashmir to Kanyakumari.”

While India’s geographic boundaries may remain unchanged, my answer to this question is a much different one today. India still stretches from Kashmir to Kanyakumari. But now India also stretches to London, to Tokyo, to New York, to Silicon Valley and beyond.

India is everywhere today. And understanding India’s rapid transformation from a regional to global player is a key element in understanding India’s future.

Let’s use the year 2000 as a reference point in this transformation. Much of India’s exports that year – U.S. $36.3 billion – were related to commodities such as textiles, chemicals, and durable goods. In 2006, India’s exports had more than tripled to U.S. $122 billion of which a large chunk was from the IT industry.