Editor's Letter: The Road Ahead
“The illiterate of the 21st century will not be those who cannot read and write, but those who cannot learn, unlearn, and relearn.” — Alvin Toffler
What would Alvin Toffler have said about ‘India at 100’?
The futurologist whose future forecasts on the rise of the Internet to newer forms of human families kept millions across the world hooked, would surely say interesting things about ‘India at 100’.
But then one doesn’t need to be a Toffler to forecast that India would be a leading economic superpower by the time we turn 100.
As we turned 70 only recently, we thought it was an apt occasion to peek into the future and look into the contours of the India that we will have in 2047, when it turns 100.
Hence this special issue of BW Businessworld of ‘India at 100’.
Would train accidents be a thing of the past by then? We have seen with the recent UP train accident — and in fact a spate of accidents have happened in the recent past — that it was eminently avoidable. Can such man-made calamities be prevented by the time we turn 100?
Among other themes, what would happen to agriculture? Will we go beyond the self-sufficiency slogan? Would India become a manufacturing hub? Would India continue to maintain its dominance in services?
We put the questions to the leading thinkers, economists, industry leaders and thought leaders from all walks of life, and we got interesting insights. The consensus that emerged is that India by then would be a confident superpower, and economically next perhaps only to China.
This special issue of BW Businessworld, anchored by Deputy Editor Suman K. Jha, showcases some of the finest names around.
It has an opinion poll which takes stock of the nation at 70, while also looking at the roadmap ahead for the next 30 years. A BW Panel looks at the hits and misses of the last 70 years and looks ahead for the next 30 years. BW reporters track their respective sectors and look at the growth potential for the next 30 years. The icing on the cake is the array of columnists that we have got for you — the very best, the names who count.
This issue of BW Businessworld is a veritable collector’s item, which you, dear reader, will cherish for a long time to come.
The past week has also been buzzing with the Infosys saga. We have been tracking the story since its inception and do a follow up, and Chief Innovation Officer Hoshie Ghaswalla tries to find out if there are parallels from across the world.
In this very issue, we carry a special offering by N. R. Narayana Murthy where, in an interesting take, he says he takes leadership lessons from none other than Mahatma Gandhi.
By the time you get to read this special issue, a Cabinet reshuffle may have happened, with some very interesting additions to the Union Cabinet. We will keep you posted. For live updates, you can log on to www.businessworld.in, and for a more detailed, in-depth coverage, there’s always the next issue of your favourite magazine.
In the meantime, please do keep sending your feedback.
Happy reading!
