‘Vocal for Local’ is a grand vision of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to realize the dream of Atma Nirbhar Bharat. It is all about realizing what best we can do and also tell the world what good we are already doing and producing! We must focus on pride, and not on prejudice. The important point to be noted here is that ‘Vocal for Local’ is not about the freedom movement’s sentiment of nationalism or being an Indian, buy an Indian stuff but a far wider call for inclusive development. Atmanirbharta or self-reliance is not possible without Atmamanthan or self-introspection.

We have to understand how much we have achieved and feel proud of that. This is a call which must be seen as an enabler. As per my opinion, this is a voice from within that must get louder and louder and the journey to get there has started. A nation which looks for growth from within not only always ends up growing well but also contributes to the world’s growth. The way Bharat Biotech has come out with a world class vaccine to mitigate the attack of coronavirus is inspiring.

Without compromising on quality and services, I find many entrepreneurs taking a plunge in the ocean of opportunities thanks to the clarion call of ‘Vocal for Local.’ Ours is a new journey at Aritraa and the benefits from such initiatives will take time to trickle down to our segment. But in our design philosophy of wayside amenities and retail, we are looking at high level localization and playing a major role.

So far as the potential for domestic consultancy firms is concerned, the manpower in most consultancy firms is local Indians only. The issue is the lack of patronage and support to top quality Indian consultancy firms vis-à-vis MNC brands in this sector. I firmly believe that in the services sector, which is manpower and intellectual capital dependent, there must not be so much thrust by our own corporates and governments to go for MNCs.

Making rules which necessitate international consultancy companies only to qualify in most assignments of the highest values is beyond my comprehension. All the famous foreign brands in consultancy are almost entirely run and managed by Indian talents. So I often wonder what is the driving force behind the people asking in their qualification criteria whether it is an MNC brand or not. I hope there is an implementation of ‘Vocal for Local’ in this segment as well.

Is the idea of ‘Vocal for Local’ gaining ground at the tertiary level in our country? I think not yet! There are multiple reasons – vastness of the country, fragmented marketplace. It is difficult to maintain consistency in quality due to the speed of building the market and supply chain. If we reorient ourselves like Walmart of the world, who views market entry strategy and implementation as a marathon race and not a sprint, then the results will be different. You have to build stamina to last a marathon and phase your strategy for different phases of the race.

Our entire ecosystem was built around the power of brand and product developments were happening more with MNC’s global portfolio of products and offerings. With rising concern about lifestyle and health preferences, we have seen Yoga and Ayurveda emerging as two very important pillars for Indians to build their offerings around. Vicco, Himalaya, Dabur, and Baidnath ... all were there for so many years, but it took a Patanjali to shake the market and force many to go back to the strategy board to be vocal for locals.

ENDS