– Dr Ruchi Tewari, Associate Professor & CMO, MICA – Ahmedabad

As India approaches 2047—its centenary of independence—Independence Day has become more than a celebration. It is a moment for reflection: what kind of nation are we becoming? In an era shaped by artificial intelligence, climate change, and political flux, India’s aspiration to be a developed, inclusive, and innovation-led nation is not merely desirable—it is essential.

While infrastructure and technology will form the outer shell of progress, the true driver will be education. As AI automates tasks once considered knowledge-driven, education must evolve to nurture independent, empathetic thinkers. Management education, in particular, holds immense potential—not only to create employable graduates but also thought-ready citizens. Creativity, culture, and communication will be central to this transformation.

The National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 lays a foundation for this shift, promoting multidisciplinary learning and creativity. The challenge now is to align management education—traditionally focused on industrial efficiency—with the needs of what can be called The Imagination Age, a creative economy.

Harnessing India’s Youth Dividend

With over 65% of its population under 35, India has the world’s largest youth cohort. The UNDP notes that this demographic dividend will peak in the early 2030s. The task ahead is to convert this youthful energy into innovation by nurturing creative and empathetic leaders who can:

• Navigate complexity and ambiguity with confidence.
• Design human-centred strategies grounded in empathy.
• Communicate across diverse audiences through storytelling.

These skills—creativity, culture, and communication—are no longer peripheral but essential.

Why Creativity, Culture, and Communication Matter

A McKinsey report (2021) identified creativity, persuasion, emotional intelligence, and adaptability as key future skills. These are not mere soft skills—they are strategic assets.

Communication as Strategy
In today’s hyperconnected world, communication defines the success or failure of enterprises and movements alike. Start-ups such as boAt, ACKO, and Zerodha have thrived by speaking the language of their audiences. Ethical, transparent, and culturally resonant communication is now central to leadership.

Creativity as an Advantage
The World Economic Forum’s Jobs of Tomorrow report (2023) lists creative problem-solving among the top three future job skills. In a nation as diverse as India, creativity enables context-specific solutions and turns challenges into opportunities—just as population once perceived as a burden became our demographic strength.

India’s Quiet Superpower

India’s daily life—across 28 states and 22 official languages—is an ongoing exercise in communication and creativity. From ancient epics like the Mahabharata to folk traditions and modern storytelling, India’s cultural DNA is steeped in narrative intelligence. These traditions continue to shape how businesses, innovators, and communities engage and solve problems today.

This narrative fluency fosters social cohesion, strengthens India’s soft power, and drives innovation. By 2047, it could transform diversity into an engine of economic growth and global influence.

India@2047: Education for the Imagination Age

The India@2047 framework envisions an equitable, sustainable, and innovative future. High-quality management education, rooted in creativity and communication, can advance this mission by:

1. Strengthening Democratic Discourse
   India’s democracy needs communicators who simplify complexity, respect differences, and foster dialogue. True leadership requires listening—what I call Democratic Literacy.
2. Fostering Social Innovation
   Future managers must design solutions with communities, not just for them. Contextual, India-centric thinking will drive innovation across healthcare, sustainability, and rural development.
3. Enhancing India’s Global Cultural Capital
   India’s greatest exports—yoga, cinema, Ayurveda, design—represent cultural intelligence. Educators must nurture leaders who can project India’s ideas globally through Creative Diplomacy.

Towards Cognitive Freedom

If 1947 symbolised political freedom, 2047 must represent cognitive freedom. India needs citizens who:

• Think independently,
• Communicate with clarity,
• Lead with empathy, and
• Imagine fearlessly.

Management education must transcend job preparation—it must cultivate thinkers, builders, listeners, and creators who will lead India into The Imagination Age.

Let us build an education system that fills not just positions, but purpose.
For a generation that understands: a job is what you get, but an idea is what you give to the world.

Also Read: AI in Classrooms: Friend, Not Foe