http://www.libertas-institut.com/de/PDF/Flyer_Sourajit.pdf

1. Libertas European Institut GmbH, Germany
www.libertas-institut.eu
FLYING WITH THE WINGED ELEPHANT
Niche opportunities for global businesses that may emerge in India
SOURAJIT AIYER
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Bibliografische Information der Deutschen Bibliothek
Die Deutsche Bibliothek verzeichnet diese Publikation in der Deutschen
Nationalbibliografie; detaillierte bibliografische Daten sind im Internet über
http://dnb.ddb.de abrufbar
Disclaimer: Views and opinion expressed by the author are entirely his own, and
should not be taken to represent those of the company i.e. Motilal Oswal Financial
Services group entities. Readers should rely on their own investigations. Any action
taken by readers on the basis of the information herein would be their responsibility
alone, and not of the company or of any person associated with the company or of
the author in any manner whatsoever. These articles are meant for information
purposes solely, and does not construe to be an investment advice or a solicitation
for any financial instrument.
Rangendingen, October 2014
© by LIBERTAS - Europäisches Institut GmbH
LIBERTAS – Europäisches Institut GmbH,
Lindenweg 37, 72414 Rangendingen, Germany
Tel. +49 7471 984996-0, Fax +49 7471 984996-19
eMail: verlag@libertas-institut.com
Internet: www.libertas-institut.com
ISBN 978-3-937642-53-6 (E-book Pdf version)
ISBN 978-3-937642-54-3 (LIBERTAS Paper print version)

3. About the Author
Sourajit Aiyer works in corporate planning and investor relations with Motilal Oswal Financial Services, Mumbai, which is a leading
capital markets company in India (* see Disclaimer below).
He has over 8-and-half years work experience. Previously, he worked in equity trade support with UBS Investment Bank, London,
UK and in corporate finance with Reliance Broadcast Network, Mumbai. He started his career in investment research with
Evalueserve, Gurgaon. He has completed internships with Tata Motor Finance, Delhi and with Grameen Bank, Dhaka, Bangladesh.
As a personal interest during week-ends, he has also written on various economic, business and political developments, focusing on
their learnings, impacts and opportunities. Till-date, his articles have appeared in 30 publications across 13 countries.
Born and brought up in New Delhi, he currently resides in Mumbai. He can be reached at sourajitaiyer@gmail.com
* Disclaimer: Views and opinion expressed by the author are entirely his own, and should not be taken to represent those of the company.
Readers should rely on their own investigations. Any action taken by readers on the basis of the information herein would be their responsibility
alone, and not of the company or of any person associated with the company in any manner whatsoever. These articles are meant for information
purposes solely, and does not construe to be an investment advice or a solicitation for any financial instrument.
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4. Introduction
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nowledge First is the corporate mantra of the company I
work for – Motilal Oswal Financial Services (*Disclaimer in
About the Author page). The stress is on utilizing knowledge as
the foundation for creating growth and building an enterprise.
This observation made a deep impact on my thought-process.
Another observation was in a speech by Shri Narendra Modi,
now India’s Honbl. Prime Minister, at Delhi’s SRCC Conclave
during the campaigning for the federal elections in early-2014.
He believed that the 21st century could be India’s century.
Whenever the world had moved into periods of knowledge
throughout its history, India had played a leading role through
its contributions in sciences, mathematics and economics.
Since the 21st century is the century of knowledge, he was of
the firm belief that this could be India’s century.
If I combine the spirit of these observations, then the criticality
of knowledge for achieving growth and leadership is clear. The
other aspect that arose in my mind - conveying that knowledge
was as critical as gaining it, especially when we need partners
to help us realize the results. Only when the knowledge is
conveyed to potential partners, can it be utilized.
The purpose behind this exercise is to identify some of the
niche opportunities that might emerge in an evolving and
reviving India, think how some of those opportunities could be
made practically possible, and convey that knowledge for the
interest of global partners for investments or collaborations.
The quirky title is intentional – ‘Flying with the Winged
Elephant’. India has often been characterized by the ‘Elephant’
vis a vis ‘Dragon’ for China. India’s evolving socio-economic
profile, coupled with expectations of revival, can create niche
opportunities. They can boost growth and help the elephant to
race ahead, hence the usage of ‘Wings’. The usage of ‘Flying’ is
to convey to global businesses that they could benefit from
this growth, by actively partnering in these opportunities.
One should also bear in mind that the language of business in
India is English, and it is spoken across strata of population.
The legal system is largely based on the British common-law, a
result of its colonial heritage. For global businesses, these
aspects might make India relatively easier to navigate, as
compared to others in the emerging economy universe.
The text within the chapters includes possible areas of benefit
and rationale of these niche opportunities for both India and
global stakeholders. Some of them convey the areas where
participation can be sought, while some convey learnings that
global businesses might find useful. For global businesses, the
benefits might include increased demand for their specialized
services, investments into high-growth pools of opportunity in
India, demand for intellectual capital and manufactured inputs,
ability to develop products more relevant for India’s cultural
specificities, etc. For India, the benefits might include business
and income opportunities, creation of future assets to assist its
growth story, deepening of domestic and export capabilities,
and a fill-up to overall employment and entrepreneurship.
Employment is a necessity in India – given the virtuous circle
between income, demand, supply and growth. India’s growth
story hasn’t been inclusive so far. Large sections are still left
out. Economic distress is a reason for migration and perceived
socio-economic imbalances is a cause of crime.
Some of the opportunities mentioned are conventional ideas,
but some might be unconventional. The unconventional ideas
might seem outlandish, but may not be unreasonable.
Exporting Indian teachers was an unconventional, yet practical,
idea conveyed by Shri Narendra Modi in that same speech.
Many ideas relate to small businesses, but it is these very small
businesses that can become large in a growth economy and
help expand and diversify the corporate base. India’s journey
following the 1990s reforms saw several such examples.
Indian businesses themselves have matured, and can be useful
partners. The recent slowdown made them more adaptable.
They started looking to deliver a specific value proposition.
That created branding, branding created recall and recall
created stickiness. They also started exploring new markets for
sales and production, thus expanding the scope of operations.
The bottom-line is – India is evolving, and is expected to revive.
This scenario can throw up niche themes and opportunities,
and global businesses should look to participate in them.
Sourajit Aiyer
Mumbai, October 6, 2014
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5. Table of Contents
Introduction 5
Foreword 6
Becoming a potential destination for affluent retirees and pensioners from across the globe 7
Irrigation-highways combined along road-highway network, to synergize infrastructure efforts for faster completion 9
Packaging the ‘Package-Tour’ opportunity 13
Taking global offshoring to the next level – From KPO and BPO towards MPO, CPO, PPO, DPO and SPO 16
Content-sharing coming in focus, as localization and competition drives rationale for syndicated content 20
Leveraging microfinance to boost rural demand of FMCG goods 24
A ‘hybrid’ e-commerce platform to link the sizable South Asian markets, as a cross-border seller’s marketplace 27
Expanding into EPC engineering in cash-rich Middle East: A business area where India can actually out-do China 32
Crowd-sourcing may find large, focused talent pools in India, given its vast demographic diversities, size and skills 34
Niche opportunities in higher-education, as a growing economy and job competition make skill-addition inevitable 38
Learnings from Starbucks’ story, for QSRs and coffee-shops looking to enter India 42
Affordable housing finance: Critical success factors in India’s next big opportunity 44
‘World’s Envy, Chindia’s Pride’: The opportunity for developing India-China direct road corridors 47
Boosting renewable energy sector, through domestic, cost-effective manufacturing and innovative tapping solutions 51
Let all the PSUs face the lions - Unsold PSUs calling global consultants specialized in turnarounds/efficiencies 56
Reorienting skill vouchers to deepen skill-creation, and make India a base for talent sourcing to high-growth nations 58
Working-spouses, double-incomes, lack of family help and obesity awareness shifting demand for Processed Foods 61
Inland Waterways calling global expertise, to utilize opportunities from India’s bountiful water network 63
Using a consulting-approach towards SMEs, to upscale the SME stock exchange platforms 66
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