50 years of independence and 15 years of freedom

What planning is working better than the five-year plans?
What food is better than mid day meals?
What is transporting better than Indian Railways?
What is helping communicate better than the age-old state owned telecos?

Nothing and no one is perfect. Private sector is first for profit and then a social cause. But I still have a lot of regard for people like Capt. Gopinath of Air Deccan, Late Dhirubhai Ambani for his telecom dream, Kishore Biyani and Mukesh Ambani for their retail plans and plazas, Tatas & Maruti Udyog for their vision of democratizing passenger car travel in this country, Bajaj Auto & Hero Honda Motors for bringing motorbikes to masses & ITC for bringing prosperity & pride to the Indian farmer through their E Chopals.

These are the entrepreneurs and enterprises that have brought about real change for the masses.
They have proven that despite an unfriendly context (read infrastructural bottlenecks) a better nation can be built. They have turned the glacial crawl of India’s economic development into a 100-meter race. They are good examples of the fact that Indians are not just great thinkers and planners but equally able executors.

Proliferation of better products and services for the masses has brought about a decisive shift in the way the masses think and aspire. Today there is more to look forward to, more to work hard for, more to bring home for your kids and dear ones.

Just visualize the magnitude of social change that has been brought about some of these products and services. More people are traveling thanks to cost effective air travel; more people are getting to buy better products in an environment that, till very recently, they could only see in the Bollywood movies shot in Singapore or London. More kids are in touch with their aging parents through cost effective mobile communication services.

Private enterprise is turning to be the real democratizers of the democracy that we are.

Despite many weaknesses – the private enterprise has begun shaping the face of the contemporary India. This social change, which has been brought about by the economic upswing, would transform the face of this society forever and for the better!