India's derring-do? Where Eagles Dare

India cannot be built as a knowledge-driven brand, simply because we do not have an enduring competitive advantage in this domain. We only have a cost advantage till the time another country can match the fees we charge for the much-touted BPO successes or, for that matter, our software prowess. I will admire the Infosys of the world the day they can create a software brand on the lines of a Window.That is when the Indian brand in the software category can be truly built, but while we wait for that to happen there is enough scope elsewhere like tourism, agri-business, crafts.... But Superbrand India can emerge from the critical values so unique to India: namely, entrepreneurial drive. Because we are a nation of entrepreneurs. Look at the top ten businesses: almost all are first generation. It is this spirit of entrepreneurship that needs to be inculcated. We need to modify our education system to promote lateral thinking and innovation. Also, the State should set up venture capital funding streams to promote entrepreneurship. The mantra to market it could well be: The Great Indian Dreamer's Reality. As a nation we have to accept the fact that entrepreneurs must and do fail. It's also imperative for tomorrow's India to accept risk-taking as a natural process of evolution. The marketing must however be done cohesively. Unfortunately, we are terrible marketers and our government has no clue either. Look at what we did to Darjeeling tea. Until the recent Incredible India campaign, we were weak in tourism marketing as well. We do not understand global positioning and that cannot be left to the CIIs and FICCIs alone. They are doing a tremendous job but you need more brand ambassadors and consistency in positioning. Brand India needs better brand custodians and not politicians and bureaucrats pretending to be brand managers. The day we change the team, we shall capture the world as a robust value-proposition brand. One which tells the world what an Indian entrepreneur can do: whether he is making world-beating acoustic systems or plain Dal Bukhara! (The writer is CEO, Equus Redcell)