Vision India 2020 Book Review: Arjun Malhotra

Arjun Malhotra is the chairman and CEO of Headstrong, a U.S.-based IT services company.  He is also the chairman of TiE Global, the world’s largest not-for-profit organization for entrepreneurs.  In the 1970s, Arjun Malhotra co-founded HCL Technologies, one of the first Indian IT companies.  Here is his review of Vision India 2020 by Sramana Mitra:

“Vision India 2020 is a timely addition to the series of recent overtures on how India is emerging as an economic superpower amidst its myriad challenges. Sramana pontificates like a visionary entrepreneur with her bold, sincere and pragmatic diagnostics, and then, comes up with her skillful problem solving techniques. As most parts of the world economy remain eclipsed by the ominous clouds of recession, this book throws up positive insights for truly bold entrepreneurs.

It is indeed refreshing to read through Sramana’s futuristic dream of India, which she argues is not a figment of imagination. For her, the opportunities that lie ahead are not any kind of fiction – economic, scientific or social – but rather, a set of viable business plans for entrepreneurs to implement. She does it quite effectively, presenting a vast sweep of multiple untapped opportunities in the realms of infrastructure, IT, tech services, energy, healthcare, lifestyle, entertainment, education and also ventures into rural as well as slum development.

These are undoubtedly challenges that India seems to be well poised to address. But many believe that time is running out and the urgency is expressed in diverse quarters by all those who are avidly following India’s incredible growth story. India does trigger hope amongst entrepreneurs like no other nation on the face of the globe. Running through the entire theme of this book is the predominant role of visionary entrepreneurs who are ready to innovate and address new business challenges. There are some very interesting, uncharted territories highlighted in the book that should excite entrepreneurs within India and outside. India is already one of the core centers for global investment and the scale of projects outlined here should motivate investors worldwide.

She also talks about diversification into new areas and tapping global resources and know-how in a very effective manner. This should be worth exploring and some of the success stories outlined in the book should inspire many others. Vision India 2020 is also a good reminder that, in midst of the euphoria over India’s recently acquired success in specific areas, some of the blunders made by advanced nations in areas like environment, energy and urban development should be cautiously avoided while building a modern economy and society.

Overall, there is a great message that it’s every entrepreneur’s responsibility to change the world for the better. Though a few solutions cited seemed more like ‘common sense’, these are often not thought through to translate into big bang businesses that are profitable and impact generating.  I am sure the nuggets of examples thrown in this book can excite many entrepreneurs – those who are veterans and also those budding amongst our next generation of youth. Nearly 45 ideas with recipes for success are elegantly wrapped up in 220 pages that does make for interesting reading. I am sure this will also raise the level of curiosity and interest amongst entrepreneurs, policy makers and investors worldwide on new partnership and collaborative business models.”

Vision India 2020 is available from Amazon.com in paperback and Kindle, and from Smashwords.com in all e-book formats.

This segment is a part in the series : Vision India 2020 Book Review