
12 minute read
Cover Story
from 2009-08 Sydney (1)
by Indian Link
financial services institutions (BFSI) accounted for 41% of the export pie in FY08, while telecom and manufacturing contributed 20% and 17%, respectively.
Other major verticals include retail, healthcare, airline and transportation, construction and utilities and media.
The US continues to remain the key market for Indian IT companies, accounting for 67.2% of the software and services (including BPO) exports from India. With a 26% stake in EU, Indian companies are looking at the European region as a potential market for exports and also to expand their global presence.
Building on its existing strengths, India will remain the biggest pool of lowcost global knowledge workers for the foreseeable future, with more than double the combined total in its nearest rivals, China, Vietnam, Philippines and Russia. However, it faces a shortfall of 500,000 people by 2010 unless it steps up training. Likewise, with an industry attrition level hovering around 20-25% (often higher for smaller players), companies are likely to offer an increase of 10-15% in salaries in the coming years.
It all began in 1950s, when Jawaharlal Nehru laid the foundation for IITs and IIScs building a large scientific workforce, second only to US and Russia. Proficiency in English and strong technical foundation worked in their favour. In the late ‘60s, blend that is a gourmand’s delight.
As a land that has experienced extensive immigration and intermingling through many millennia, India’s cuisine has benefited from numerous food influences. Around 7000 BC, sesame, eggplant, and humped cattle had been domesticated in the Indus Valley and by 3000 BC, turmeric, cardamom, black pepper and mustard were harvested in India. Many recipes first emerged during the initial Vedic period, when India was still heavily forested and agriculture was complemented with game hunting and forest produce. In Vedic times, a normal diet consisted of fruit, vegetables, meat, grain, dairy products and honey. Over time, some segments of the population embraced vegetarianism, due to the Hindu philosophy of ahimsa. This practice gained more popularity following the advent of Buddhism and a cooperative climate where fruits, vegetable, and grains could easily be grown throughout the year.
Later, invasions from Central Asia, Arabia, the Mughal empire and Persia, had a fundamental effect on Indian cooking. Influence from traders such as the Arab and Portuguese diversified subcontinental tastes and meals. As with other cuisines, Indian cuisine has absorbed New World vegetables such as tomato, chilli and potato as staples. These are actually relatively recent additions.
Islamic rule introduced rich gravies, pilafs and non-vegetarian fare such as kebabs, resulting in Mughlai cuisine, as well as such fruits as apricots, melons, peaches and plums. The Mughals were great patrons of cooking. Lavish dishes were prepared during the reigns of Jahangir and Shah Jahan. The Nizams of Hyderabad meanwhile developed and perfected their own style of cooking with the most notable dish being the Biryani.
Indian cuisine is distinct to regions, with North Indian cuisine for example, featuring tamarind and other ingredients, dosas, poori, idli, vada, bonda and bajji are typical South Indian favourites. West Indian cuisine encompasses Goan, Maharashtrian and Gujarati cuisine, and each is distinct in flavour and ingredients. While Maharastrian and Goan cuisine depend more on rice, coconut and fish, Gujarati cuisine is predominantly vegetarian with a distinct hint of sweetness due to the use of jaggery (brown sugar). Goan cuisine is influenced by Portuguese colonization. And food from the North East remains influenced by its neighbours Burma and China.
Indian cuisine is a feast for the tastebuds and comes a long way from the ubiquitous ‘curry’.
The healing touch
Ayurveda has existed in India for thousands of years, but has only recently been globally accepted as an alternative medicine. Historians cannot specify exactly when ayurveda came into being, but most agree that its texts were written between 3,500 and 5,000 years ago. This traditional, natural system of medicine enjoys huge popularity in India as well as global acclaim. It provides an integrated approach to preventing and treating illness through lifestyle interventions and natural therapies. Ayurvedic theory states that all disease begins with an imbalance or stress in the individual’s consciousness.

In India, ayurvedic practitioners receive state- recognized, institutionalized training in parallel to their physician counterparts in state-supported systems for conventional Western biomedicine. Studies have documented reductions in cardiovascular disease risk factors including blood pressure, cholesterol and reaction to stress, thanks to ayurvedic methods.
Clinical studies on ayurvedic herbal preparations and therapies have shown them to have a range of potentially does not insist on acceptance or belief in this philosophy to ensure a cure. However, it does provide a deeper insight into how ayurveda can work better for your health. Ayurveda is not simply a healthcare system, but a form of lifestyle adopted to maintain balance and harmony within the human body. This unique blend of science and philosophy balances the physical, mental, emotional and spiritual components necessary for holistic health.
Indian Technology
Think Information Technology and the first thing that comes to the mind is India. In fact the two have become synonymous with each other ever since the world’s largest democracy opened up its economy. A significant contributor to India’s GDP (40%) and exports (35%), the IT sector took off in the ‘90s, shaping new equations with economic giants like US and EU. No other Indian industry has ever performed so well against global competition. It is estimated that Indian IT and BPO export will touch $60-62 billion by 2011, and this despite the economic downturn.
A vertical break-up of India’s IT-BPO exports sector shows that banking and
Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) became the first Indian company in the software sector. The National Informatics Centre was established in 1975 and the industry burgeoned with the emergence of new players like CMC, WIPRO and of course the legendary Infosys. Today, Indian IT companies are expanding their service offerings to provide a complete basket of services to their clients. These new services include IT consulting, testing, business process management and IT infrastructure services, which allows the IT companies to de-risk their business from pricing pressures and enter into newer areas which provide them higher growth and profitability.

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Burgeoning industry
Besides IT, the south Asian giant is emerging as a force to reckon with in diverse sectors including dairy, automotive and ancillaries, pharmaceutical, cement and of course, new media and entertainment.
Dairy India is the world’s highest milk producer (108 million tones per year) and all set to become the world’s largest food factory. As it enters an era of economic reforms, agriculture, particularly the livestock sector, is positioned to be a major growth area. The fact that dairying could play a more constructive role in promoting rural welfare and reducing poverty is increasingly being recognized. What started as a trickle in Kaira district of Gujarat back in 1948 has become a flood today – Operation Flood. The celebrated Indian brand Amul was born as a white revolution swept the nation. National Dairy Development Board to the growth of global generics market, stringent price controls in the domestic market and better margins, the export market is growing much faster than the domestic market. Traditional branded generics presently dominate the Indian market but the future will see strong growth in the specialty branded generics and patented drug segments. Drugs for diabetes and cardiovascular diseases are expected to see the fastest growth among all therapy areas during 2007-2011. The retail pharmaceutical market is presently highly unorganized; however, a vast opportunity exists for the organized market.
Howzzat!
Cricket! The life and breath of Indian sport, cricket has now transcended from a mere game to reverence akin to a religion. Cricket is the unofficial national game of India and is enjoyed by its millions, within and without the country.

Cricket was introduced in India around the 17th century. The first ever cricket match was played in 1721, but it wasn’t until 1848 that the Oriental Cricket Club was established in Mumbai. The first official cricket match was played between Parsis and Europeans in 1877, but it became a
Other incredible players who gave credence to the Indian team are Rahul Dravid, Anil Kumble, Sourav Ganguly and Javagal Srinath.
The current cricket team continues to show promise, with a whole new batch of youthful and enthusiastic young guns ready to show off their talent and attitude. Mahendra Singh Dhoni, S.Sreesanth, Munaf Patel, Gautam Gambhir, Irfan Pathan and Yousuf Pathan are some of these. Under the enthusiastic captainship of Dhoni, the young team successfully won the first Twenty-20 Cricket World Cup held in the year 2007.
Bring it on, Bollywood!
The pride of Mumbai, Bollywood is now a global, if not a household name. The soubriquet came into being in the 1970s when India overtook America as the world’s largest film producer.
(NDDB) emerged as the world’s largest dairy development initiative and in the process millions of rural dairy farmers found new hope. NDDB’s Perspective 2010 focuses on four key areas - strengthening cooperative business, production enhancement, assuring quality and creating a national information network.
Auto With Tata Nano becoming the buzzword in industry circles, India’s automobile industry, (tenth largest in the world), is also a growth area. Its annual production is in excess of 2 million units. And it has been predicted that India will become a major global auto hub in the immediate future.
The perception of car ownership as a luxury changed when Maruti Udyog entered the market. While a number of domestic companies continue to cater to the local market, the growing presence of multinational investment has led to a spurt in overall growth. Following economic liberalization in India, the auto industry demonstrated sustained growth as a result of increased competitiveness and relaxed restrictions. The monthly sales of passenger cars in India now exceed 100,000 units and the industry employs 15 million people. With domestic production skyrocketing, the government’s 10-year plan aims to create a $145 billion auto industry by 2016. With an export potential of $ 25 billion, India’s passenger vehicle exports are forecast to rise from 170,000 in 2006 to 500,000 in 2010. Currently it is the world’s largest manufacturer of small cars.

Pharma With a US$ 8.2 billion pharmaceutical industry, India is one of the fastest emerging pharmaceutical markets in the world. The market, presently driven by over a billion population, an expanding GDP and rapid epidemiological transitions, is expected to be the major player in the global pharmaceutical market both in terms of its large domestic market and also as a pharmaceutical export hub.
The size of the domestic market is larger than the export market. However, owing popular sport only in the late 19th century. Cricket began to mesmerise the nation when Indians like Sir Ranjitisinhji and Sir Duleepsinhji began playing for the English cricket team in the 1900s. Their skill and scores helped raise the interest and prestige of the game among Indians. The Ranji Trophy which began in 1934-35 still continues today, and is one of the most prestigious championships in India.
After independence, India made its first ever Test Series victory against arch rival Pakistan in 1952, giving the game a huge boost. Some of India’s cricketing giants like Vijay Manjarekar, S M Gupte and Polly Umrigar displayed remarkable skills in this series.
The sport has had its share of talent, like E Prasanna, B S Chandrasekhar, Srinivas Venkataraghavan and Bishan Singh Bedi in the ‘70s, and of course, two of its most gifted batsmen Sunil Gavaskar and Gundappa Vishwanath, also emerged during this time. The ‘80s saw the Indian cricket team scaling new heights in One Day International (ODI) cricket, and under the captainship of Kapil Dev, the team even managed to grab the 1983 Cricket World Cup. The ‘90s brought Sachin Tendulkar, the boy wonder into the spotlight and India gained a reputation as never before. Sachin still plays for India and is considered as one of the all time greats of world cricket. He is respected internationally for his style and technique, even his integrity and humility.
Bollywood began its foray into the world of cinematography with Raja Harishchandra (1913) by Dadasaheb Phalke, a silent feature film made in India. By the 1930s, the industry was producing over 200 films per annum. The first Indian sound film, Ardeshir Irani’s Alam Ara (1931), was a major commercial success. Song and dance musicals followed, creating a distinct genre which is now the stereotype of Bollywood. Most Bollywood films of this era were escapist, with just a few brave filmmakers tackling tough social issues.
The year 1937 saw the first colour film made in Hindi by Ardeshir Irani of Alam Ara fame, called Kisan Kanya.
Post Independence, some of the most critically-acclaimed Hindi films of all time were produced, during what seemed the ‘Golden Age’ of Bollywood. Guru Dutt’s films Pyaasa (1957) and Kaagaz Ke Phool (1959) and the Raj Kapoor films Awaara (1951) and Shree 420 (1955) were hugely popular as they expressed social themes dealing with working-class urban life. Some of the most famous films of Hindi cinema starring actors like Rajesh Khanna and Dharmendra, and actresses like Sharmila Tagore and Mumtaz. But the mid-1970s brought the trend of gritty, violent films about gangsters and bandits, like Sholay and Deewar. Amitabh Bachchan, Mithun Chakraborty and Anil Kapoor shone during this era, which lasted into the early 1990s. The most internationally-acclaimed Hindi film of the 1980s was Mira Nair’s Salaam Bombay! (1988), which won the Camera d’Or at the 1988 Cannes Film Festival and was nominated for an Oscar. During this time and through the ‘90s, family-centric romantic musicals returned to popularity and a whole breed of new young actors emerged. Aamir Khan, Salman Khan and Shahrukh Khan, as well as actresses like Sridevi, Madhuri Dixit and Juhi Chawla shot into fame. Action and comedy genres were also popular, with actors like Govinda, Akshay Kumar, Raveena Tandon and Karisma Kapoor frequently appearing on the big screen. A new and distinct genre of films was born, known as the Mumbai noir, which were urban films reflecting social problems. Parallel cinema followed soon after featuring critically acclaimed and powerful acting by stalwarts like Nana Patekar and Naseeruddin Shah. were also produced at the time, including Mehboob Khan’s Mother India (1957), which was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film. A talented crop of actors began to bask in the spotlight, some of these being Dev Anand, Dilip Kumar, Raj Kapoor and Guru Dutt, while successful actresses included Nargis, Meena Kumari, Nutan, Madhubala, Waheeda Rehman and Mala Sinha.
The millennium has seen Bollywood’s popularity grow internationally, particularly since the past few years. Filmmaking reached new heights in terms of quality, cinematography and innovative story lines, as well as technical advances in special effects, animation, etc. The explosion of multiplexes aided this growth and produced some blockbusters like Lagaan (2001), Devdas (2002), Koi... Mil Gaya (2003), Kal Ho Naa Ho (2003), Veer-Zaara (2004), Rang De Basanti (2006), Lage Raho Munnabhai (2006), Om Shanti Om (2007), Taare Zameen Par (2007) and Ghajini (2008), delivering a new generation of popular actors like Hrithik Roshan and Abhishek Bachchan, and actresses like Aishwarya Rai, Preity Zinta and Rani Mukerji..
Major influences that have shaped the conventions of popular cinema are ancient epics and Sanskrit drama, traditional folk theatre, Parsi theatre, Hollywood and western musicals.
Bollywood has also influenced Hollywood; Baz Luhrmann stated that his musical film Moulin Rouge! (2001) was directly inspired by Bollywood. Danny Boyle’s Slumdog Millionaire (2008), which won four Golden Globes and eight Academy Awards, was also directly inspired by Bollywood, and is considered to be a “homage to Hindi commercial cinema”.
The late 1960s and early 1970s saw an influx of romance movies and action films
Everyone loves Bollywood and its films, and a good entertainer is generally referred to as paisa vasool (literally, “money’s worth”). Songs and dances, love triangles, comedy and dare-devil thrills are all mixed up in three-hour-long extravaganzas with an intermission. These masala films remain popular, but parallel and art cinema, Mumbai noir and films with strong social, and lately psychological, movies are gaining in popularity.
Bollywood is now a statement, not just of Indian culture, tradition and its diversities, nor of simply song, dance and a good dose of melodrama, nor even of current fashion and lifestyle trends in India, but it’s an emerging giant in the world of global cinema.
With input by Usha Arvind










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