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'Brand India' set to become global player: India Inc
By siliconindia staff writer
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Wednesday, 12 November 2003, 20:30 IST
JAIPUR: Captains of industry, while stressing on inspiring a vision to build 'brand India', on Wednesday expressed confidence in the ability of resurgent India to become a global player.
'Brand India' will succeed because "India's time is round the corner" and "we have a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity before us", Reliance Industries chairman-cum-managing director Mukesh Ambani told Ad Asia 2003 congress.
Concurring with Ambani, Aditya Birla group chairman-cum-MD of Kumar Mangalam Birla, said "Indian mind today is the greatest recognised asset of the country and Indian intellectual capital is a great platform to start the process of building brand India".
Pointing out that there was 'an irrepressible ambition' among Indians for global recognition, Ambani said the ambition was within their grasp because young India was on the move.
However, it would require patience and conviction and leaders in all fields - politics, business, education, science, technology and culture - would have to live the India brand in their "thought and deed".
Asserting that the biggest barrier in becoming global was from within, Birla said Indians must shed their general tendency to focus on the negatives and ignore their success.
While the world had started taking notice of the 'Indian' back home "we are still not proud of our achievements" and there was lack of faith in our own capabilities, he said.
Recalling the country's past, Ambani said India was a global economic power at the turn of the 18th century, contributing a quarter of the global output, but over the years colonial indulgence carpet-bombed 'brand India' which has become just a memoir now.
"Since independence we are struggling to regain the lost dynamism and depleted vitality, and I believe, India's moment has arrived," he said.
Birla mentioned about the achievements of India, like the invention of number system and 'zero' and development of science of yoga and medicine.
He said the country had already made big strides as it was among the only six nations having the ability to launch satellites, among the only three nations to build super computers, having the largest set of remote sensing satellites and its National and Mumbai stock exchanges ranking as third and fifth in the world.
Ambani said building 'brand India' was imperative which the country could not afford to ignore. Brand generated trust, confidence and continued association and nation brands encouraged people to broaden their view of a country, he said.
India would have to be among the top 10 global brands by 2010 by making the country number one destination for tourism, manufacturing, IT and education, Birla added.