Superstar India by Shobhaa De

Author:Shobhaa De
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9780141923741
Publisher: Penguin Books Ltd
Published: 2009-03-11T16:00:00+00:00

One Indra Nooyi Does Not a Revolution Make

Of course we're very proud of the successful Pepsi lady who has been winning accolades for breaking through the reinforced steel ceiling in the corporate duniya, because she heads one of the world's largest companies—Pepsico. Good on you, girl, I feel like saying, each time her picture appears of her accepting an award. India has rushed to claim her as ‘one of our own’. We clasp her to our bosom and say, proudly, ‘See… how well Indians are doing internationally? And that, too, a woman… Wah! India! Wah!

No taking away from her achievement. Please give her some more awards; she richly deserves them. But while the hosanna hour is still on, let us remind ourselves that the story isn't all that amazing for women in the corporate world back home. The story isn't all that dismal either, but the fact that we incessantly need to parade our token ‘women achievers’ quite depresses me. We should take these achievements in our stride. The minute you create separate categories for successful women, you are already insulting womankind. There are counter-arguments in abundance, and determined feminists will point out the inspirational/aspirational value of holding up such role models. It's a little like that corny, misguided Ram Gopal Verma film titled Main Bhi Madhuri Dixit Banna Chahti Hoon (‘I, too, want to be Madhuri Dixit’). Today, the same film might work better if Madhuri's name was replaced by Indra's.

Nooyi was given a prestigious national award in 2007 (the Padma Bhushan). At a grand function, she received it from the prezzie, clad in a traditional south Indian Kanjeevaram saree. India was agog. Wow, we all said in unison, now here's a power lady worth emulating. She is smart, super-successful, powerful, wealthy… and… most importantly—so ‘Indian’. She has not sold out. She retains her traditional values. She enjoys married life and raising children. Indra is perfect.

And so she may well be. But not every body can be an Indra or even want to be her. In her several interviews, she sounds like a sensible professional who happens to be a woman of Indian origin. Although her halo tarnished just a little when she confessed her teenage daughter sends her e-mails requesting for an hour of her time! That's so un-Indian! She deals with those incontrovertible facts of life in a balanced manner, without drawing extra attention to either. It is we in India who are dying to appropriate her and take indirect credit for her success. It is an old habit that refuses to go away. Spot a successful ‘Indian’ and promptly lay claim to him or her. We tried that with Sunita Williams. We did it with Kalpana Chawla. And so it goes… whether it's a Mira Nair, a Gurinder Chhadha, Night Shyamalan, Jeev Sethi, Anoushka Shankar or a Kiran Desai. We want to possess them and thump our chests over each individual scalp acquired. I wonder if that's how it goes elsewhere…?

Our ladies are doing very well—if you don't examine the numbers too closely.

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