India Empowered Series

Financial Express has been running this series called the India Empowered Series. Biotech Queen Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw has written the latest article. Her thoughts are similar to that of Director Shankar in the Tamil flick Anniyan.

The India factor is now a force to be reckoned with and something that is building national pride through amplified job opportunities that are reversing the brain drain. Apart from industry, success in other realms like sports, entertainment, the visual and performing arts and heritage are also great contributors to pride and empowerment. Today’s youth are inspired by successful icons, be it business, sports or the performing arts.

A recent visit to Malaysia left me with a lasting impression of what nation building and empowerment is all about. Only a few decades ago, Malaysia was a country that suffered a deep inferiority complex from its highly-advanced and progressive neighbour, Singapore.

As a Bangalorean, I remember feeling mighty proud of Dr Mahathir Mohamad’s revealing statement that he would like to develop Kuala Lumpur as Malaysia’s Bangalore! Today, it is just the reverse: KL is a city of the future that has left Bangalore far behind. The infrastructure is impressive, the people are confident, the economy is booming and there is an immense sense of national pride and, more importantly, the political will to move on and build even further on this success. What Malaysia has demonstrated is the power of political will to transform an uninitiated mindset into a progressive, dynamic nation on the move. Against this backdrop, I despair at the abysmally slow pace of change in our country. I am envious of countries who have outpaced us in development.