Welcome to India

2010-03-31T01:00:00.000-07:00

Welcome to Incredible India! A journey into mysticism through the land of the unexpected.

Bounded by the majestic Himalayan ranges in the north and edged by an endless stretch of golden beaches, India is a vivid kaleidoscope of landscapes, magnificent historical sites and royal cities, misty mountain retreats, colorful people, rich cultures and festivities.

Modern India is home alike to the tribal with his anachronistic lifestyle and to the sophisticated urban jet-setter. It is a land where temple elephants exist amicably with the microchip. Its ancient monuments are the backdrop for the world’s largest democracy. India has 1,652 dialects!

India at a glance

The economy in India has been growing at 8-9% per annum. This is being driven by the industrial and service sectors as well as the rapid increase in middle class income. The urban population in particular, with its rising purchasing power, is the main force that drives the demand in India.

Foreign investment is welcome in all sectors except “strategic sectors” like atomic energy, railways and defence. Key industries that have attracted significant amount of Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) are IT and ITES, Telecom, Automobiles and Consumer Durables.

India is being targeted by global giants in various industries due to its favorable demographics. India is among the world's youngest nations with a median age of 25 which accounts for 50% of the population.

India’s scale and rapid pace of urbanization presents an opportunity for new market expansion in the world’s second fastest growing economy. Income distribution has changed dramatically in certain cities. Mumbai, Kolkata, Delhi, Hyderabad and Chennai are the most populated and wealthiest cities, closely followed by Bangalore, Ahmedabad, Pune, Vadodara and Kanpur. The top seven cities Mumbai, Delhi, Chennai, Kolkata, Hyderabad, Ahmedabad and Bangalore, together have over 6 million homes falling in the upper socio-economic strata.

With market liberalization, increasing consumerism and the entry of more foreign players, Indian markets are seeing revolutionary changes. The Indian consumer is rapidly evolving and is spoiled for choice by a host of international brands selling their products at competitive prices.

According to a study by the McKinsey Global Institute (MGI), India's middle class will swell by more than ten times from its current size of 50 million, to 583 million people by 2025 and over 23 million Indians more than the present population of Australia today will be counted as billionaires. By 2025, India will also become the 5th largest consumer market, surpassing Germany, moving up from the 12th position it occupied in 2007.

India has been ranked as the most attractive nation for retail investment among 30 emerging markets by the US-based global management consulting firm A T Kearney in its entity's Global Retail Development Index (GRDI) 2009.

Rural India is the next opportunity after the urban growth story, which makes up 40 % of India's USD 280 Billion retail market and offers alluring opportunities for foreign. The rural market offers great untapped potential.

Key Facts (Indian Imports)

Some of the major exports to India are edible oil, newsprint, petroleum and crude products, crude rubber, fabrics, electronic goods. Cumulative value of imports of India for the period April 09 – January 10 was USD 218,534 Million as against USD 272,037 Million in the same period last year. Oil imports during April 09 – January 10 were valued at USD 63,971 Million; Non-oil imports during April 09- January 10 were valued at USD 154,563 Million

Culure of India

India is blessed with rich culture and heritage. The culture of India is one of the oldest cultures in the world. Right from the medieval period there prevail diverse cultural diversities in form of dances, languages, religions, people, their customs, festivals. Every state of India has its own distinct cultures and has carved out its own cultural niche. In spite of so much of cultural diversities, Indian's are closely bond and makes India as a great country perhaps because of its common history. Dating back to over 5000 years old civilization, India's culture has been adorned by migrating population, which over a period got absorbed into the Indian way of life. This great Indian culture comprises of Indian music, Indian Dance, Indian cuisine, costumes and Indian Festivals. India is not just one of the world's oldest civilizations, it is also the world's largest democracy, and has made stupendous progress among developing nations. India's impressive variety of history and culture, from the ancient Gangetic Kingdoms to the present state, harmoniously blend to form a unique atmosphere in over a million square kilometers of scenic sights. A continent-sized country, India possesses an amazing wealth of sights and sounds, tastes and textures. From a bustling cosmopolitan city to the quiet countryside, hill station or a beach resort, India has destinations, which offer a backdrop of unmatched beauty for a business meet. You will find a fascinating amalgam of tradition & culture, beauty & nature, style & splendour, warmth, feelings & courtesies, comfort & convenience virtually everything the modern conference organiser or delegate could expect.

The principal languages with rich literary heritage are: Assamese, Bengali, English, Gujarati, Hindi, Kannada, Kashmiri, Malayalam, Marathi, Oriya, Punjabi, Sanskrit, Sindhi, Tamil, Telugu and Urdu. The earliest language of the Indians was that of the Indus valley civilization. The four major early language groups from early India are The Dravidian, Sino-Tibetan, Austric and Indo-Aryan.

Business Culture in India

The business culture of India is a reflection of the various norms and standards followed by its people. Indians have various cultural yardsticks, which extend to their business culture too. A sound knowledge of India's cultural practices and business etiquettes is necessary for any trade or business venture within the country.

The notion of time, time management, punctuality is still an anathema in India. It is more to do with the mindset and ingrained in the Indian culture. It would not be surprising if meetings are postponed, re scheduled, cancelled or organized at a very short notice. The proficiency over the English language for the average middle class is commendable. Official communication-letter faxes, emails are generally received without any hitch, but it would be prudent to cross check if the transmission has reached the receiver. Bureaucratic hurdles and a laidback approach to work in the government circles could result in delays in processing, overload of paperwork and a general lack of confidence in the system. Therefore immense patience is very much necessary for any business transaction in India.

export to India

Welcome to India