Nilekani, who was speaking at an event in the Jaipur Literature Festival, expressed hope that the rise of this aware class will bring about a positive change in the society.
"The protests in the national capital were a symbol of aspirations of people meeting the system. This will bring about a change at some point," Nilekani said, terming the Delhi protests as the 'Rosa Parks' moment for India.
"This is just like the moment in the US, when one woman's refusal to give up her seat in the bus sparked off the civil rights movement," Nilekani said, speaking at a programme on Sino-Indian relations.
Author Gurcharan Das, who was also present on the occasion, saw a failure of the system behind the brutal incident.
He said both the anti-corruption stir led by Anna Hazare and the protests against Delhi gang-rape are positive signs for India.
"The gang-rape protests demanded something as basic as law and order that will benefit all citizens. In fact, the last two major agitations called for public good," Das explained.
This idea of demanding reforms, that will benefit all instead of a few, is a new phenomenon that will lead to a transformation in India, Das further said.
