Wither brand India?

The mood at the Annual General Meeting of the World Economic Forum in Davos last week was sombre. But what was even more telling was the mood around Brand India. In fact on an NDTV discussion which had Lionel Barber, the Editor of the Financial Times, Ajay Banga, the global CEO of MasterCard and me, we had a quaint discomfort qua Brand India and how things had gone horribly wrong in just five years. I remember Nandan Nilenkani had steered a team at Davos many years ago and where we had communicated the concept of India Everywhere but that was then.



This year's Davos had a large Indian contingent but the stars were absent. Mukesh and Nita Ambani were not there. Neither were Anand and Anu Mahindra. Rahul Bajaj who is a regular was also absent owing to a back injury. There were the usual Cabinet Ministers who equally felt ill at ease at defining what could have gone so wrong with Brand India in such a short time. In the session on 'India Outlook' Chidambaram had to mount a defence that was both hollow and uninspiring and Chidambaram always does better but then in an environment such as the one we have, what could he possibly do?

There were many silver linings. The India Adda (a café serving delectable Indian fare put together magnificently by Hemant Oberoi of the Taj and his team) was the favourite haunt not just of the Indians at Davos but that of many a delegate. There is nothing more alluring than a dosa to entice the Indira Nooyis of the world and credit must be bestowed on both Anand Sharma, the Commerce Minister (who made the Adda his meeting venue) as also to the India Brand Equity Foundation which did some tremendous work in show-casing India's soft power in the form of great food. The staff of the Taj was as always flawless both in terms of what was on offer and their remarkable service.

But India apart, Davos was uniquely special in many ways this year. There were some interesting discussions ranging from the Arctic Meltdown to Global Monetary Policy to the presence of the Iranian President followed by that of John Kerry, the US Secretary of State. What I found fascinating was that Davos could easily replace the United Nations as the place to settle issues because there is little else you can do in the Alpine Village.

If the sessions were illuminating so were the evening receptions. Mahindra & Mahindra led the Indian charge with the pre-Davos dinner they held at Kaffe Klasse on the day before Davos began. TCS hosted a wonderful reception with great service and care as did CII in the form of the India Reception.

I was however most impressed by the very private reception that Tina Brown hosted to celebrate Women in Power. Tina is a power-house in the world of media but she is increasingly shining the light on many critical issues that confront women across the world. At her dinner, I was absorbed in deep conversation with Matt Damon who has done excellent work with water as also the British Chancellor, George Osborne.
Leaving the Alpine Village of Davos always is saddening. Because from discussion you have to get down to execution and thus showcase intent. I don't what this year will mean both for India and the world. But then as far as India is concerned, we have pretty much hit rock bottom and there is only one way to go. Up. Hope it does happen. And happens sooner rather than later.