India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the south, the Arabian Sea on the west, and the Bay of Bengal on the east, India has a coastline of 7,517 kilometres.

“If I were asked under what sky the human mind has most fully developed some of its choicest gifts, has most deeply pondered on the greatest problems of life, and has found solutions, I should point to India.”

Max Mueller, (1823 - 1900), German philologist and Indologist

The 17th century Red Fort or the Lal Qila in Delhi was built by the Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan. It is the location from where Free India’s first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru addressed the people on August 15, 1947, and the tradition of Prime Ministers addressing the nation on Independence Day and Republic Day continues. The Red Fort spans about 254.67 acres and its archeological value has given it the status of a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

“The magnitude and extent of India’s achievements can best be appreciated when you see where the country came from. When I began my career, almost 50 years ago, a young aspirant had limited choices – he or she would try to get either a job with the Government or with companies in a few cities like Mumbai, Kolkata and Chennai. Even in these, many of the industries were reaching a sunset stage. Nothing was world class or world size in scale. Today, the picture is completely different. Today, we have a vibrant, throbbing economy which has been the world’s second fastest growing economies for the past few years.

In the 80s and 90s the transformation was led by Information Technology which gave India its first industry in which we achieved global leadership, but even this was concentrated in a few cities mainly in the South. Today, the progress has spread across every nook and corner of the country, be it urban or rural, and across multiple industries. Capacities in many industries have catapulted to make them globally competitive. The range of successful industries include Telecommunications, Petrochemicals, Auto and auto parts, Mobile phones, Consumer goods and a whole host of other service industries. Infrastructure, which has been India’s Achilles heel has begun to attract large investments and is undergoing transformation.

Technology and globalisation have played to India’s advantage. The upsurge of Web 2.0 companies can enable creation of a global company overnight without having to spend years in building brick and mortar infrastructure. Many more young professionals have entrepreneurial ambitions. Venture funding is available to support these aspirations and Bangalore is ranked amongst the top 10 cities in the world for start-up activity, with many other cities gaining traction.

BEST OF INDIA recognises these wonderful success stories which are laying the foundation for many more accomplishments in the years ahead as India progresses to become a flagship economy for the world. The articles also include another heartening feature of industrial success - the desire of companies to give back to the community through CSR programmes and also to become the patrons for our art and music, leading to a preservation of our rich and ancient culture. Interspersed with excellent photographs, every chapter in this book has interesting narratives that capture the essence of India’s own success story.”

World Trade Centres all over the world, have duly supported the initiatives of Global Village Partnerships over the years. The World Trade Centre Mumbai is pleased to extend its support to GVP India in bringing out this outstanding publication, BEST OF INDIA.

The ‘Best Of’ series of publications has, within a short span, become an important vehicle for the globalisation of Indian business, allowing it to showcase its capabilities to the world. Global Village Partnerships (GVP) has done a commendable service to Indian industry and business by bringing its publications to India. I have no doubt it has already become a ‘Gateway to India’ as it gives worldwide publicity to the very best in India in a manner that leaves beautiful imprints in the minds of readers.

‘Prosperity through Trade’ is the mission of the World Trade Centers Association (WTCA) New York. WTC Mumbai, being part of the WTCA network of 315 WTCs in 96 countries, takes pride in realising its vision of ‘a perfect catalyst in the promotion of India’s world trade developments’. Certified as the Best Quality practices by the WTCA, WTC Mumbai’s services, facilities and activities have effectively led to the increasing integration of the Indian economy with the rest of the world. We are sure that our association with GVP in the BEST OF INDIA will augment our efforts.

‘Prosperity through Trade’ is the mission of the World Trade Centers Association (WTCA) New York. WTC Mumbai, being part of the WTCA network of 315 WTCs in 96 countries, takes pride in

The All India Association of Industries (AIAI) has always served the needs of the Indian industry and helped it to become efficient and able to compete with the rest of the world. Its wide ranging services and activities focus on the development of the Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME) sector. AIAI has also contributed significantly to social and environmental causes. The AIAI has truly put India on the global map and has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with more than 170 overseas trade promotion organisations, government agencies, chambers and associations.

“Building Bridges of Prosperity Through Industries” is the mission that AIAI strives to accomplish. I am happy to see that GVP has appropriately included AIAI in the BEST OF INDIA publication.

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