India-made, making the grade

Once upon a time, when non-resident Indians traveled to India for vacation, they didn't need to think much about what to bring as gifts for their loved ones. Almost everything, even items found in supermarket shelves abroad, was scarce in India back then, so a few dollars or any foreign currency could buy a lot of goodies that would be appreciated by their Indian recipients. However, things have changed significantly over the past few decades in India.

Supermarket-grade products are now so common in India that NRIs can no longer think of giving those to their relatives back home in India. Moreover, many of the alternative gifts people might consider are not only available in India but are actually produced domestically as well.

This change became clear to me when I learned that Prime Minister Narendra Modi presented Swiss President a hamper of European-style Indian cheeses during his recent meeting. In the past, Indian connoisseurs would have scoffed at local efforts to make non-indigenous products, considering them inferior to the real imported versions. This mindset was prevalent even when it came to aircraft, weapons, high-tech products, and more.

However, as India became more prosperous, the ability to afford authentic imported goods reinforced the belief that local products were superior. Local production not only delivers quality at a lower cost and with a smaller carbon footprint but also provides the satisfaction of seeing enhanced expertise and indigenous capability.

The reluctance of Indians to accept locally made foreign items as equally good alternatives until well into the 21st century stemmed from the policy of import substitution, a legacy of socialist scarcity and Five-Year Plans. However, the lack of focus on technology and quality benchmarking led to poor-quality products.

Today, Indians demand international quality from local producers to attract buyers who have the means, opportunity, and self-confidence to settle for only the best. Even Indian-made cheeses will not be accepted unless they match the quality of foreign cheeses. Some might argue that visiting world leaders are too polite to express their true thoughts about locally made foreign items gifted to them.

But I am confident that if those goods pass our discerning Desi test, they would be on par with, or even better than, the same product's best version made anywhere else in the world.