Learn, Unlearn, Relearn
The illiterate of the future will not be the person who cannot read; it will be the person who does not know how to learn. – Alvin Toffler
It’s not easy to predict the future. More so, when technology, inventions, and innovations are reshaping the future by the minute. Who, for instance, would have thought that in a globalised world, protectionism would be back with a vengeance? Who would have thought that the two Koreas would be talking peace? Who would have thought that automation would create more jobs than it actually renders redundant?
This nevertheless makes the task of futurologists all the more exciting. Alvin Toffler, in his seminal book, Future Shock, saw the trends that we see unfolding even today. It’s about the Internet, cloning, home schooling, instant celebrities, and so on. Toffler also saw the coming of “knowledge workers” who would replace blue collar workers.
We all talk of the knowledge economy today. The Fourth Industrial Revolution is a buzzword among corporates, even in societies bypassed by the Industrial Revolution. In the change — which is the only constant — spawned by knowledge workers, one needs to be on the learning curve all through one’s life. Or, risk being dated.
Whether it’s Silicon Valley or Bangalore, we have found Indians at the forefront of path-breaking innovations. If we happen to be at the cusp of something historic at the moment, the world sees Indians leading the charge. This is what makes the future so exciting for Indians, as a people.
We, at BW Businessworld, have been known to spot and read into trends, other than covering the corporate world. In our anniversary issue last year, we had looked at the businesses in 2035. This year, we focus on the immediate future, and what the next decade would look like. Believe us, the task of predicting the next decade is not any less exciting (and challenging), considering that we are being subjected to a rapid, continuous evolution.
Our 36th anniversary issue, then, is devoted to the next decade. Anchored by the BW team of reporters, we do some crystal-gazing to pick out future trends. We also have on board reputed thought leaders and corporate honchos who help us spot trends and predict the future.
The sectors we focus on range from entrepreneurship to urbanisation, aviation to auto, and technology to wellness.
This anniversary issue has another important component — a survey of Corporate India. In the survey, we ask Corporate India titans their own reading of the next decade. Some of the findings are startling. In our 36th anniversary issue, you get 36 takeaways from the survey. This deepens our understanding of the future and of Corporate India.
How relevant will you be, as a student, as an executive, as a leader, ten years from now? This issue may offer some clues. Do let us know. Your feedback counts. This issue, we are sure, is one that you will cherish for a long time.
Happy reading!
