My Way. My Life. My Yuvalution
- Rohan Koshy
Introduction
“A revolution is an idea which has found its bayonets”
- Napoleon Bonaparte.
A Yuvalution is an expression. An expression of an idea whose time has come. A sense of rush. Of contained energy. To create something. To change something. To make something anew. To remake something. To feel the winds of change and to capitalize on it.
It is this feeling of change, of feeling uncertain but exhilarated which fuels the youth of this country. When I look at myself and the friends I’ve grown up with, I notice something that maybe wasn’t present in the generations of Indians before us.
Belief.
I don’t mean the idle belief that India is great and was great and will always be great. I mean the belief which leads to the youth talking about it, feeling energized about it and doing something about it. It is this belief that leads to me to what I believe is the biggest revolution that will sweep this country.
I stayed back in my country and I will build my career here, my business here
I believe the Yuvalution is now. The essence is imbibed in the youth of today. That India is where things will happen. Where people will create a new way of doing things. A new way, tailored to our culture, imbibing the best yet keeping our sense of balance.
This is why I believe that young Indians choose more and more to stay here to pursue their dreams. Not because other countries are not compelling offers, but because the sense of excitement that pervades this country is something historic, something not felt in a long time.
India is at present a huge mixture of its past and present. The past because our culture and history anchors us, the future because the idea of a better tomorrow, a way better tomorrow pulls along the dreams of millions.
So why would I choose to stay when obviously I have many choices? Let’s face it – Globalization has changed the problem facing the youth. In the 60s the problem was – You had no choice. Now the problem is a problem of choice. Too many choices.
A couple of decades ago, India offered very few choices to the majority of the youth. We all know about the crisis in 1991 which led to reforms. We all know through our parents how difficult it was to get things done, to progress in life and to earn more than an average living.
All that has changed now. A telephone line took years to procure. Now you can have 2 in a day at the cheapest rate in the world. It is this turnaround that has filled the youth with a passion to perform.
Change brings Opportunities.
India’s GDP is widely believed to be equal to that of the developed countries till the 1700s. It is widely acknowledged that the growth of probability theory and advanced math in the western world was impossible until they discovered the Hindu numbering system. Within twenty years of reforms, we are already the fastest growing economy beside china and one of the nations that the world comes to see as stable, open and good to work with.
Why is this history important? Because Indians have over the last 1000 years (yes 1000) demonstrated that they can create wealth and prosperity. In essence, the 200 years of British rule were an aberration. We were one of the wealthiest nations before the invasion and within 60 years of freedom have come to grow at a supernormal pace.
My way of life is not about the past though. It is about the future. Indians like me recognize that NOT ALL of them need to study, work or settle abroad to live the good life. It is instead about what has changed.
Two Pressing Yuvalutions.
The fight against corruption and reversing the brain drain. These are the two most immediate revolutions that the youth can take up to catapult India into a thriving, prosperous country.
One is an immediate need which needs to be fulfilled to continue our progress. The second, not so much in the limelight but equally important. This is where I choose my way. I believe that this generation of Indians, my generation, is the luckiest to come along in more than 300 years. If you are between 20 and 30 years of age, you’ve never had to struggle for freedom. Most of your life so far has been in an open economy where things change fast and inefficiencies are greatly reduced. You’ve had plenty of choice in what clothes to wear, which bikes to drive, which school to go and what job to take. All this alone makes us the luckiest generation to come along in 3 centuries.
What really puts the cherry on top? – In the next 40 years , India is expected to be one of, if not the fastest growing economy in the world. To add to it, its political clout is set to grow allowing India to take centre stage.
Think about it – For someone of my generation, the majority of one’s life will be spent without experiencing the shackles of the past or a crash in the future. (of course all this is contingent on the fact no such major event such as a World War breaks out).
I choose to stay because my working life will be spent as part of an economy which will be experience one of the longest sustained growth trajectories in history. How can I not take advantage of that and experience that. That is the promise of India to young Indians staying back.
My Way
Not only can you direct your life in a direction you see fit, you can do it in a way that is unique to you. This is the essence of “My Way”. Since we’re still at the beginning of the revolution in India, the rules are yet unwritten. Yes we’re the best at IT services, but beyond that there are plenty of businesses which we are yet to discover we are world class at. We have the pedigree too. Many classes of Indians are steeped in business culture. Generations of business culture have honed their skills and acumen to a sharp focus.
My Way not includes creating a different set of businesses; it is also about a different way of running businesses. I don’t think shareholder wealth maximization is the primary reason for an Indian business. Much of our business lore is built on the stories of Tata’s, Birla’s and companies like Infosys and Wipro. We got to set a new , more responsible, more harmonious way of conducting business. It’s not about useless hostile takeovers, immature media wars and publicity hogging CEO fights. The Indian way is more about Ultimate competitiveness and Ultimate respect. It’s a harder path to follow , but one with better societal consequences.
My life and My way epitomize the change that the youth will bring. By bringing more businesses and running them differently, it’s possible to create a unique Indian story to the way we run businesses.
Conclusion
There is a famous quote which by Jim Rogers, the commodities guru
"If you were smart in 1807 you moved to London, if you were smart in 1907 you moved to New York City, and if you are smart in 2007 you move to Asia."
The reasoning behind his statement is clear. The sand has shifted under our feet and the impetus is now in the East. This is not to say that the west is bad or that it does not still provide ample opportunities but only that it should raise the question –
“If I am born in India, which has a rich history of good business, and my whole working life will be in a time of historic growth of prosperity and I have chance to imbibe all the knowledge in the world, WHY WOULD I LEAVE?”
This in essence, is the sense of the Yuvalution. It’s a time of prosperity, of hope, of breaking free from the chains of the past and creating the new.
To all those who would be skeptical, who would say that this is a view with rose tinted glasses on, the answer is simple in return. Yes there are issues, but every country at every point has faced its own set of issues.
However, we have the wind in our sails. It’s time to stay back and create the new.
Nothing can stop an idea whose time has come. Nothing