The struggle for utopia

Naushad Forbes by his own admission has a hybrid background. He is “an industrialist, an academic interested in innovation policy, a past president of the Confederation of Indian Industry and someone who enjoys participating in public debate in…newspapers.” He also has a sense of humour that sets him apart from most industrialists, academics and public policy commentators. Not surprisingly, therefore, he describes himself as “a Parsi from Pune, who struggles to speak Hindi, eats beef and reads P G Wodehouse”.

If his latest book, The Struggle and the Promise – Restoring India’s Potential, has turned out to be a refreshing take on why and how India should become a global leader in the next few decades, his unique background has certainly been a contributing factor. Supplementing this has been Dr Forbes’ wry sense of humour. His candid admission that he is not good at speaking Hindi or that he eats beef and loves reading Wodehouse appears to be an implicit message on what great powers need to be conscious of.

One of the attributes of a great power, according to the author, is an inclusive approach to culture and governance. Dr Forbes believes that India’s promise lies in its culture of inclusivity. His description of what he loves in life is a gentle reminder of the need to preserve that diversity, particularly in an India that is increasingly becoming intolerant, keen on imposing one language on the entire country that speaks in many and is disdainful of the rights of what some people would like to eat.

The central point of the author’s argument is that while India’s promise comes from its inclusive culture (even though that has been threatened in the last few years), its challenge arises from the way policy is implemented. The objective, therefore, is to “get the balance right between industry, institutions and policy”. Indeed, there are no two ways about this.

Where Dr Forbes enters a debatable area is his subsequent assertion that the pursuit of inclusion and India’s diversified culture make it a better candidate as a potential leader of the world. While economic leadership is essential, it is not sufficient, the author argues, hinting at why China despite its economic might could fail to gain that pole position. This is a reiteration of Joseph Nye’s soft-power theory in a different way. But given recent instances of how major economic powers seem to be less respectful of the idea of inclusion, Dr Forbes’ theory is likely to be seriously tested in the decades to come. But there is no denying that each of the dozen-odd chapters of his book is imbued with optimism and a breath of fresh air.

Dr Forbes, however, recognises that the tasks before India to achieve its rightful place in the world are not easy. In consonance with its unique culture, India will be required to achieve a lot in “economic policy, in the role of industry, in building and nurturing great institutions, especially in getting the role of the state right”, he notes. The state must focus on public health, for instance, but at the same time it should retreat in many other areas like running of businesses.

An excellent chapter on politics reveals the tough choices that India must make between opting for a system of having leaders who know better and those who are popularly elected to take policy decisions on behalf of them. He admits this is dangerous territory, but he has no clear answers. For instance, are the strong leaders of the Singapore system better than the popularly elected members of Parliament in the United Kingdom?

Dr Forbes’ prescriptions for how industry must play a meaningful role in helping India realise its true potential are a lesson for each industry leader in the country. His suggestion that the Indian industry must become more ethical, better corporate citizens, more international in their approach to doing business, more innovative and more independent are difficult goals. But coming as it does from an industrialist, the message should hopefully be taken more seriously by India Inc.

He recounts an initiative that the Confederation of Indian Industry had begun, when he was at its helm, in setting up a university for research and innovation, with strong linkages with Indian companies. The section indicates to some extent that the author’s prescriptions for industry to behave as more responsible corporate citizens were not empty slogans, but an example of putting your mouth where your money is. The proposed CII University is likely to be launched soon after the release of his book, the author fondly hopes.

The book has many delightful anecdotes to amplify and substantiate his central thesis on why and how India can be a world leader. The author narrates fascinating accounts of how the different offices of the central ministries look different in the way they are maintained, even though they are all part of the Union government. His explanation is that this was a result of individual initiatives of those at the helm, making the challenge of bringing about the desired transition in governance even more formidable.

In addition to several data tables and graphics that provide greater clarity to his arguments, the book’s special highlight are the cartoons of R K Laxman used by Dr Forbes, with special permission, to illustrate the many problems and challenges India faces in becoming a great power. Both the data tables and the cartoons make the book more accessible. But they also leave you with an impression that the task of restoring India’s potential could well be a utopian vision.