The India@75 initiative, envisioned by Management Thinker and Corporate Guru Prof. C K Prahalad that aims to bring together industry, Government, institutions and individuals to make India an economic super power on its 75th year of independence, would be taken forward and that would be the best tribute to Prof. Prahalad observed industry leaders at an Interactive session organized by the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), here on Saturday.
The idea of India@75 was articulated by Prof. Prahalad during an event to commemorate the 60th year of Indian independence, at New York, when he charted out his vision for India@75 where India would have the world’s largest pool of trained manpower, become home for at least 30 of the Fortune 100 firms and accounted for 10 per cent of the global trade, 500 million skilled workforce among others. Prof Prahalad was a firm believer in the innate goodness of the Indians and that the Trust & good Governance is a very important factor. He believed in Karma, Moral Leadership, setting ethical standards, developing role models and that Corruption should not be treated as an economic offence but Treason.
Ms Deepa Prahalad recalled her father Late Prof Prahalad, had the spirit of giving back. Ms. Prahalad stressed that giving back didn’t essentially mean money. It could be time & knowledge. Networking and nurturing next generation was practised in his own life. He believed in doing right when no one was looking. She stressed how trust was the most fundamental thing in every venture and how scriptures of Bhagawat Gita influenced him. It begins with an unshakable belief- A dream for your country, town, world etc. You have to have the courage to dream and fulfil those dreams. If you fall you must get up and move on!
Mr Rajan Navani, Chairman, National Committee on India@75, Past National Chairman, YI & Managing Director, Jetline Group of Companies, recalled Prof. Prahalad’s popular theory of ‘Fortune at the Bottom of the Pyramid’ which aim at developing new business models targeted at offering products and services to the poorest people in the world. Stating that the theory was ‘Globally applicable, yet India-specific’, Mr Navani added Prof. Prahalad always believed that technology should be embedded in every aspect of business and it can be the game changer in the upliftment of the poor.
Sharing his memories of his father, Mr Murali Prahalad, remarked how he insisted on core beliefs like faith in oneself, pursuit of excellence and marrying profits with social justice. “He was fortunate that he saw so many of his ideas realized in India, his work being recognized and the rise of Indian MNCs,” he remarked.
During Interaction Mr Murali Prahalad quoted Swami Vivekanand’s preaching – “Out of the past is built the future. Look back, therefore, as far as you can, drink deep of the eternal fountains that are behind, and after that, look forward, march forward and make India brighter, greater, much higher than she ever was. Our ancestors were great. We must first recall that. We must learn the elements of our being, the blood that courses in our veins; we must have faith in that blood and what it did in the past; and out of that faith and consciousness of past greatness, we must build an India yet greater than what she has been” on the source of inspiration for Prof C K Prahalad envisioning India@75.
Speaking about the inspiring teacher that Prof. Prahalad was, his wife Ms Gayatri Prahalad said how he urged his students not be blind followers but trailblazers. She also recalled that Professor’s life was all about accountability.
Dr Rajiv Modi, Vice Chairman, CII Gujarat State Council and Managing Director, Cadila Pharmaceuticals Ltd. in his welcome remarks, talked on the Generation Next imagining a new, developed India which can happen through Skill Development, Urbanisation and Sustainability which was also a part of the vision envisaged by the late Prof C K Prahalad. He added that we should look at India as a modern, socially equitable, fair and transparent and the next generation should work towards this objective.
CII-Yi’s India@75 – The Next Generation, discussed the Inspirations that can be drawn from the life of Prof C K Prahalad. Interactive session was organized with the agenda of what needs to be done for the socio-economic development of India and facilitate India's transformation into an economically strong, technologically vital and morally sound global leader, when India turns 75 in the year 2022. The impetus of the mission was inspired by the late Prof C K Prahalad, Paul and Ruth McCracken Distinguished University Professor of Strategy, Ross School of Business, University of Michigan.