India, you need to be Daaguj nation

It’s time India‘s people, businesses, governments and its intermediaries understand the value of daaguj. What is daaguj, you ask? It’s the opposite of jugaad, thus that overused and abused word spelt backwards. Jugaad, or coming up with something by using whatever resources are available – spit and tape, if need be – has become as meaningless as a ‘bless you’ after a sneeze. Worse, it’s become an excuse, even a cause to champion, shoddy work. So, instead of climbing up that rickety bark, let’s bark up this sturdier tree.

Like slow-cooked food, daaguj is not for everybody. India should champion intricate, high-end, high input-turned-much-higher output projects. It doesn’t matter whether it’s in the field of tech or textiles, food production or services. The only thing that drives daaguj is quality – for which customers will happily pay a premium. Before critics who salute motor cars made of reusable tyres or other such freakeries conflate daaguj with bling, daaguj is the result of form and function being the only parameters – no matter if it’s dirt cheap or pixie expensive. India, in the process, needs to become Daaguj Nation, in the same manner watches, precision instruments and wagyu beef are for Switzerland, Germany and Japan. Let’s not just go on and on about sending the cheapest rocket to space. Let’s send the best one.