Hi guys, I just came accross this fantastically written article while just casually surfing. So I thought I should share it with you ppl too....
Note - This is a pure reproduction from the below mentioned source.
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An article by Gautam Adhikari. Source - www.dnaindia.com
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When I need help with digging out facts or anything that needs patient googling, I walk up to Harshita. She is a 20-something colleague, who sits in a cubicle adorned by a small picture of Rahul Dravid on one side and a big picture of Abhishek Bachchan on the other.
Or, so it was. Three days ago, I walked up to her cubicle and found a change in the batting line-up. Rahul was still standing stolidly at one end, as is his wont, but Abhishek had gone. In his place had come in - would you believe it—Lakshmi Mittal!
“What happened to Abhishek?" I asked, with a trace of concern at the sudden disappearance of someone I had presumed to be her heart-throb.
“Oh, he's gone," said Harshita, casually tapping away on her keyboard.
“But, why Mittal?"
She glanced at the picture, smiled and declared, “Because he's inspiring."
Hmm. So he is, so he clearly is for today's Indian. As one who grew up in the distant, revolutionary sixties, I can only say: Goodbye, Marx; hello, Mittal.
At last count, he was worth $23.5 billion, the third richest person in the world. And the current list in Forbes magazine, which publishes the annual billionaires' horse race results, contains several other Indian names. In days to come, India's Richie Rich club is likely to grow larger.
Last week, Azim Premji was knocked out of second place in the rankings of rich Indians by Mukesh Ambani, who found his personal wealth swelling to $17.3 billion when his newest company, Reliance Petroleum, hit a market valuation of over Rs38,000 crore after it was listed by the Bombay Stock Exchange.
In a few weeks, Ambani may be overtaken by Kushal P Singh, when he comes out with a massive public offering. Kushal who?
Ah, that's the story. He is 74, owns a real estate company called DLF, but was a soldier in the Indian army when he began his career. You see? It can be done, in one lifetime, even without silver spoons.
So, out with the victim mentality, self-pity and melancholy, with which so many Indians have grown up in the early years of our nation, let's have some can-do optimism. That’s what Harshita’s admiration for Mittal told me.
Many will point to the grime and poverty surrounding us and say that optimism is hardly evident in the forlorn eyes of millions of our countrymen.
But appearances, as we all know, can be deceptive. In fact, India is the world’s most optimistic country.
A recent global consumer confidence survey by A.C. Nielsen says exactly that. A whopping 88 percent of Indians are bullish about this country’s economic performance going forward.
They are more positive than even the Chinese. And they pack greater spending power than they have ever had at any point of time since independence. They have the highest percentage of consumers in the world who use spare cash for savings, investing in stocks or mutual funds and/or retirement funds.
Now contrast this with a country comparable in size. No, not China or Russia, let’s look at the United States. A New York Times-CBS poll revealed last week that more Americans are pessimistic about their country’s direction than at any time in the past 23 years.
George W Bush’s dismal leadership may be a reason, though Americans can only blame themselves for it after having elected him for a second time to power.
But the Nielsen survey cited earlier shows other interesting facts about US consumers.
Among countries with the highest percentage of consumers who have no spare cash, the United States tops the list with 28%! India, at 7%, is among countries with the lowest such percentage of consumers.
Naturally, the US also ranks near the bottom of all countries surveyed by Nielsen in terms of setting aside money for the future. The percentage of respondents who said they used spare cash for savings, stock or mutual funds, the U.S. ranked 33rd out of 38 countries surveyed.
Indian consumers are the most optimistic in the world in terms of expectations for job opportunities and the state of their personal finances. A huge 83% think employment prospects are likely to be good while 85% expect their personal finances will be in good shape.
So, while we are still one of the world’s most dismal nations by per capita income, and the wretched conditions in which our poor live are almost unmatched anywhere, we are also stunningly confident that we are headed towards a far brighter tomorrow.
As Harshita, and her friends among today’s 20-somethings, would say: “Awesome!"
Email:[email protected]
Note - This is a pure reproduction from the below mentioned source.
------------------------------------------------------
An article by Gautam Adhikari. Source - www.dnaindia.com
------------------------------------------------------
When I need help with digging out facts or anything that needs patient googling, I walk up to Harshita. She is a 20-something colleague, who sits in a cubicle adorned by a small picture of Rahul Dravid on one side and a big picture of Abhishek Bachchan on the other.
Or, so it was. Three days ago, I walked up to her cubicle and found a change in the batting line-up. Rahul was still standing stolidly at one end, as is his wont, but Abhishek had gone. In his place had come in - would you believe it—Lakshmi Mittal!
“What happened to Abhishek?" I asked, with a trace of concern at the sudden disappearance of someone I had presumed to be her heart-throb.
“Oh, he's gone," said Harshita, casually tapping away on her keyboard.
“But, why Mittal?"
She glanced at the picture, smiled and declared, “Because he's inspiring."
Hmm. So he is, so he clearly is for today's Indian. As one who grew up in the distant, revolutionary sixties, I can only say: Goodbye, Marx; hello, Mittal.
At last count, he was worth $23.5 billion, the third richest person in the world. And the current list in Forbes magazine, which publishes the annual billionaires' horse race results, contains several other Indian names. In days to come, India's Richie Rich club is likely to grow larger.
Last week, Azim Premji was knocked out of second place in the rankings of rich Indians by Mukesh Ambani, who found his personal wealth swelling to $17.3 billion when his newest company, Reliance Petroleum, hit a market valuation of over Rs38,000 crore after it was listed by the Bombay Stock Exchange.
In a few weeks, Ambani may be overtaken by Kushal P Singh, when he comes out with a massive public offering. Kushal who?
Ah, that's the story. He is 74, owns a real estate company called DLF, but was a soldier in the Indian army when he began his career. You see? It can be done, in one lifetime, even without silver spoons.
So, out with the victim mentality, self-pity and melancholy, with which so many Indians have grown up in the early years of our nation, let's have some can-do optimism. That’s what Harshita’s admiration for Mittal told me.
Many will point to the grime and poverty surrounding us and say that optimism is hardly evident in the forlorn eyes of millions of our countrymen.
But appearances, as we all know, can be deceptive. In fact, India is the world’s most optimistic country.
A recent global consumer confidence survey by A.C. Nielsen says exactly that. A whopping 88 percent of Indians are bullish about this country’s economic performance going forward.
They are more positive than even the Chinese. And they pack greater spending power than they have ever had at any point of time since independence. They have the highest percentage of consumers in the world who use spare cash for savings, investing in stocks or mutual funds and/or retirement funds.
Now contrast this with a country comparable in size. No, not China or Russia, let’s look at the United States. A New York Times-CBS poll revealed last week that more Americans are pessimistic about their country’s direction than at any time in the past 23 years.
George W Bush’s dismal leadership may be a reason, though Americans can only blame themselves for it after having elected him for a second time to power.
But the Nielsen survey cited earlier shows other interesting facts about US consumers.
Among countries with the highest percentage of consumers who have no spare cash, the United States tops the list with 28%! India, at 7%, is among countries with the lowest such percentage of consumers.
Naturally, the US also ranks near the bottom of all countries surveyed by Nielsen in terms of setting aside money for the future. The percentage of respondents who said they used spare cash for savings, stock or mutual funds, the U.S. ranked 33rd out of 38 countries surveyed.
Indian consumers are the most optimistic in the world in terms of expectations for job opportunities and the state of their personal finances. A huge 83% think employment prospects are likely to be good while 85% expect their personal finances will be in good shape.
So, while we are still one of the world’s most dismal nations by per capita income, and the wretched conditions in which our poor live are almost unmatched anywhere, we are also stunningly confident that we are headed towards a far brighter tomorrow.
As Harshita, and her friends among today’s 20-somethings, would say: “Awesome!"
Email:[email protected]