• Investment World
• eWorld
• Catalyst
• Mentor
• Life
• Canvas
• Praxis
• Urban Pulse
• Brand Quest

Ranabir Ray Choudhury

THE "India as a global brand" concept has been hogging the headlines in recent days. In fact, the idea has been strenuously promoted by important industrialists who are in the forefront of Indian business today.

There is no doubt that the thought is invigorating because it seeks to portray an image of the country on to the international scene which is commensurate with the priceless, age-old traditions and culture which (everyone agrees) the subcontinent's civilisation represents. Since August 1947, however, India has travelled a long way, and while its past culture and traditions remain intact, it has been successful in adding to its image a specifically modern scientific and economic content.

The recent effort to market "Brand India" as a global concept probably stems directly from the strong urge among those who travel the world frequently to proclaim to their fellow peers around the globe that their country has come of age in the economic and technological spheres.

There is also no doubt that the nation as a whole stands to benefit greatly at international forums if it is seen to be a "global brand" as opposed to being just another developing country. But what about the faceless average citizen?

Does the thought of the country being a global brand affect in any way the lives of the hundreds of millions who have to have to think twice before making a heavy purchase twice in a month?

The proposition that emerges is that India as a "global brand" will matter to the people of the country only if they encounter the advantages flowing from it as a matter of course in their everyday lives.

This really means that it is only through an improvement in the standard of living that the citizen will come to realise what it means for the country to represent a global brand. It is also clear that to attain the status of a global brand, the improvement in the standard of living will have to substantial.

The question, therefore, is: Has the average Indian citizen's standard of living improved so much that it can be projected abroad as a "global brand"?

This does not seem to be the case, the inference being that the time has not yet come to project India as a global brand. To say this is not to belittle the country's global IT reputation or its rapidly developing expertise in space technology and the nuclear sphere. Its recently acquired donor status in the IMF should also not be ignored. But to base the argument in favour of declaring India as a global brand only on these achievements would be, to say the least, premature.

Come to think of it, should not the entire branding process begin externally rather than internally? Should not the world first consider India to be a global brand rather than prominent Indian industrialists and businessmen trying to force on the world an idea for which it is not yet ready?

Article E-Mail :: Comment :: Syndication

Stories in this Section
Closing the ECB window?

Copyright © 2003, The Hindu Business Line. Republication or redissemination of the contents of this screen are expressly prohibited without the written consent of The Hindu Business Line