Ecstatic, surprised but not so surprised!
Technology that’s being by-passed in India.
Well, for the ones who know anything about India, you’d know the election of Narendra Modi as a Prime Minister in India was to be a game changer.
Modi is one year into his term and I had a chance to spend a month in India recently after having lived in US for a few years. I was simply amazed with some of the ways I saw people leverage technology. While I won’t give Modi all the credit, I am confident that a few years down the line, we would remember him as the Prime Minister who heralded a new tech era in a developing economy.
1. Whatsapp has replaced computers in public schools
Public schools in India were provided computers a few years ago and were also required to use email for communication. None of the teachers or school staff knew how to use computers. So, those PCs, basically just languished. This time around, I saw my mother, who is a Principal, share information with the staff in her school on Whatsapp. The entire coordination, which needed several phone calls and made the schools inefficient, is now handled real-time on Whatsapp. Well, not only does the adoption of phones (particularly Whatsapp) reduce the infrastructure costs for the government, it also helps teachers feel more equipped and up to date. And if students really mimic teachers, those kids in remote villages of India are in great company.
2. Online grocery shopping is way easier and cheaper than here
I was at a friend’s when I saw her create a shopping cart online at a neighborhood store’s online shop. The delivery was made in a couple of hours and was free. Given my friend was already aware of the collection at the store, she didn’t have to go through the rigmarole of looking at multiple options. There is definitely a certain advantage in India where services are available for less when compared to here. The grocery shop is next door, making returns painless. The guard guarding the building can hold the groceries for you, removing the need for you to be present.
Tid-bit: Mom and pop stores have a wider adoption in India. The higher density removes the need for hub-spoke distribution model in favor of more localized distribution.
3. Planning a party in a second tier city couldn’t be more seamless
I had to plan a small event in a city I didn’t know much about. A short walk around the market and I was connected to the balloon and cake vendors on Whatsapp. All I had to do was to share images of the decorations and style I needed and voila, people attending the event were ecstatic. If not for Whatsapp, this event would have required numerous phone calls and visits to the vendors. I would have had to print multiple copies of the styles I needed to ensure the vendors’ teams were on the same page. To my utmost surprise, the road-side balloon vendor understood written English.
What’s happening in India?
For the MBA in me, the market in India is lucrative — Internet users increased by 33% while mobile subscription went up by 55%, just last year.
However, as a citizen of India, I am amazed at the tremendous rate these developments have taken place. At some level, it’s all emotional as well. Living 1000s of miles away but then the knowledge that my friends and family are able to access the same things as I do here, is satisfying.
The consumer in India is now receptive to technology and to making lives convenient. The growing middle income segment is attracting a lot of foreign manufacturers and retailers. Besides that, entrepreneurs in India are being encouraged by the increased inflow of venture capital.
India might be a story similar to how other developing economies are changing at present.
The multitude of reasons for why India is adopting tech at a fast pace could be a blog post of its own. What makes it interesting to watch out for would be the fact that it’s the largest democracy, entrenched in the oldest culture in the world. Both those facts make me optimistic though.
Alas, the only slightly negative outcome of all these developments, where I didn’t have to move around at all, was the significant drop in my daily steps average — one reason, I am now registered to run a marathon this week.
