Are we as a nation finally moving from the back office to the boardroom?
Because when India had the chance to introduce itself to Europe recently, it did not introduce itself as the India we all know.
We did not lead with IT services, outsourcing, or the things that made us famous. Instead, we showed up with semiconductors, deep-tech, AI, defence, space, and advanced manufacturing.
And that got me thinking.
For the longest time, our role in the world felt fairly clear. Need software, engineers, or talent? Call India. And honestly, we got really good at it.
But historically, the countries that shaped industries were not known for executing someone else's vision. They became known for creating their own.
At some point, Japan became synonymous with manufacturing, Taiwan with semiconductors, China with batteries and EVs, and America with software and AI. Those bets looked risky then, are looking obvious now.
Which makes me wonder... Are we witnessing India's version of that shift?
Because for all our success with UPI, Aadhaar, and India Stack, we have largely been known as a services-first nation. A nation that helped the world run, and not necessarily one that decided where it was going.
And when I look at the conversations happening today, semiconductors, aerospace, Defence, green hydrogen, advanced manufacturing, and more, it feels like we are trying to change that.
Maybe, for the first time, we are trying to move from the world's back office to the boardroom. Or maybe the other theory is that we are simply getting better at telling that story.
The funny thing about national bets is that you usually only know whether they worked two decades later!