Yes we can...

This quote is, without-doubt, attributable to the new President of the United States. Ever since I heard him say it with passion for the very first time early in '08, I have been enamored. Why? Read on…

There've been many factors quoted by the experts for Barack Obama's popularity around the world, the least of which is not the historic factors surrounding his origins. That aside, the ability to intellectually connect and therefore favorably polarize people isn't being quoted (at least publicly) as the principal factors for his worldwide acceptance. If looked closely, there's a lot of similarity between his position in the American ecosystem (and the demographic engulfed within) and India's current position in the economic world order:

Rising from a position of adversity, where the only way is up, it is possible to talk on the same terms what India's economic growth has done to the world's perception as has Obama's win done to America's (and indirectly the world's) perception of race. Not for a moment am I indicating that this is a win of any sorts for any non-political reasons, but let's take a magnanimous look at the impact of "faith, belief" and "hope" in the end result.

India, as it's been since 1947 until the technology-driven economic boom of the 21^st century, has been at some level continuously driven by the "hope" that the hard work of the people will bear fruit eventually. We are not the new world order, yet, economically or strategically, but India is the new kid on the block that the neighbors stand up to take notice. If I were to express all of this change or transformation in one key word or phrase, it would arguably be the "HOPE" or the "yes we can" attitude. That we didn't definitively come out and say as much explicitly reflects on the confidence that initial success gives you to make that bold statement. To draw a parallel again, note that this wasn't Obama's message from the get go, but rather the initial primary wins over Hillary that gave him the confidence to put his confident foot forward and issue the war cry of "yes we can".

The message to the new "leaders" (I prefer this to "politician" for its long been misused and therefore tarnished) that govern India should be: Drive Change at all levels, for it is change that gives rise to new possibilities; use hope to power this transformation, and the beliefs from past successes to achieve this change.

Signing off, I hope (yes I do too) it is time to expand on the original quote:"Yes we can, and we should!"…