India Faces The World

The cover story of the latest Asia edition of The Fortune is about India . Not surprisingly stellar Indian companies like Suzlon , Bharat Forge , Mahindra & Mahindra are featured . Then there's the mandatory article about Google in India .

While India has , in many ways come of age and recognised globally - the recognition is in specific sectors ( and rightfully so ) e.g India is seen as a manufacturing / sourcing hub ranging from commodities to finished products and of course IT services . Indian companies / business groups have acquired businesses in various parts of the world to consolidate and complement their exisiting businesses . The overseas businesses acquired by Indian groups range from manufacturing operations to brands .

India is not yet seen as a country that is the origin of brands - fashion / lifestyle products , consumer durables , services . I.e brands of Indian origin which retail internationally .

Within India - everyday a new brand seems to be getting launched in some category or the other. Cumulatively the options for consumers are getting better.As the brands evolve perhaps they will seek to expand their offerings internationally * .

(*this excludes international forays made by some of the Indian brands seeking to reach out to the expatriate Indian community in the target country. e.g Amul butter being available in New Jersey stores , to Raymond / Louis Phillipe/Van Heusen/Arrow in Sri Lanka , M.East etc . While it can be a starting point for the international foray - the real test is for the brands to become preferred brands within that country beyond the expat community )

Hopefully a Fortune issue on India in 2010 ( and all subsequent issues from then on) will find the issue incomplete without a section on worldclass Indian brands that would have made an impact on retail and consumers internationally . This is not just about scale and whether an Indian brand would have grossed 1 $ billion in international retail sales or not . It's about making a powerful impact in the chosen category . Several Indian companies have the capability to do so . Here's hoping that at least some of them will.