An important part of my mornings is time spent poring through the ET. But the idea of being guest editor was something I was less than enthusiastic about — it wasn’t my cup of tea. But if persistence is a virtue, the team at ET has it in ample measure. With my back against the wall, I decided to turn adversity into an opportunity.

Jeff Immelt heads one of the world’s most admired companies — GE. Ram Charan is a management guru who has the ears and attention of some of the most important CEOs around the world. I wanted ET to get me a one hour slot with each for an ‘interview’. There was no hope in hell! With the timeline we were working on, it was clearly not possible. So, I was taken aback, when both Jeff and Ram, reverted back with time slots within a week of ET’s request for their face time.

On my part, I was committed to get Brett Lee, the lightning man, to talk to and share his views on various issues for this edition. Despite the fact that he was on a sabbatical with his family, he agreed almost instantly. “Of course I’d like to do it. Don’t you know, I love India. I’m big on India.”

That’s the point! I’m not taking credit away from all those who made these ‘interviews’ happen. But, to me, the underlying message is crystal clear. All three were big on India. Especially in terms of the potential it has going forward! Clearly, that’s true of opinion leaders across the world. If you ignore India, you do so at your own peril.

In sharp contrast, it’s we, those who live in this great nation, who are perpetually skeptical about its future. So was I, until a few years ago.

However, as the Aditya Birla Group has globalised dramatically in the last seven years, my view on this has changed. In fact, most of the economies, we have forayed into face some of the very issues that we do as a country – lack of infrastructure, of speed, corruption, so on, to some extent or another.
The developing nations all do, and several of the ‘developed’ economies do too. It’s the severity that differs from place to place.

To our great advantage, we are endowed with natural resources, have now been recognised as an intellectual hub of the world, and are fast becoming one of the most important manufacturing centres globally. No mean achievement.

The quality of our future, now really do depend on the quality of our imagination of what, as a nation, we can be in the years ahead. Its time that skepticism give way to enthusiastic participation in the process of nation building. Each and everyone of us can make a contribution, that undeniable. If nothing else, we can ensure that we impart to our children a sense of pride about the future of the country. Because patriotic fervour can work like nothing else can.

So, let’s walk ahead with confidence and enthusiasm. The world’s attention is on us.

It’s our turn now!