By KV (Pops) Sridhar, Chief Creative Officer, Indian sub-continent, Leo Burnett

The last few decades of India have witnessed a plethora of changes, myriad remarkable ideas and lots of inspirational work leading to the progress of mankind at a staggering rate. Some ideas out of these have transformed the way we think, act and live today. We as a country have been riding on the shoulders of such giants to storm the gates of progress. However, if I have to put my finger on the single biggest game-changing idea that has influenced our present and future, it has to be the advent of technology which has transcended the boundaries of just connecting people to giving immense power in their hands.

It took us nearly 50 years to cross the 10 million landlines mark post-Independence, but less than 15 years to cross the 900 million mark in mobile connections as of now. Technology has a way of bringing about change faster than one can anticipate. The arrival of smartphones plus 4G combined with entertainment has turned out to be revolutionary. Imagine the sheer power of the combination of smartphones and 4G if they are available at cheaper prices. The most powerful tool in the hands of man has been technology, which has redefined the rules of the game. Today, a smartphone empowers us in a way that was hard to imagine a few years ago, allowing people to interact even without the knowledge of language by a slight touch of a tiny icon. 4G enables you to have entertainment at a pace that leaves us gasping for more.

How smartphones have been embraced by our country itself is amazing. We essentially are a ‘voice country’ where we call more rather than send SMSes or voice messaging. We like to talk to a person directly. With smartphones, without even typing a single word one can get to know the weather report, or by a single touch speak to anyone. The array of apps that comes with it takes us into a world that we never even dared to dream of earlier. So much empowerment and knowledge in our hands at all times seems at times too good to be true.

With 4G the smartphone user base in the country is certain to shoot up from the current numbers of 27 million. Suddenly it will change the way people live in the country, making it one of the biggest game-changers of the future. Smartphones powered by 4G and packed with entertainment at a cost less than a tankful of petrol ( for cars) will alter the way we live our lives and embark on our progress.

We are talking about a storm that is rising. People are hearing and watching everything through this device. People today are living their lives through this device. Thanks to smartphones, the position of mobile phones has shifted from beside the ear to in front of the eyes. This is going to have a tremendous impact and bring a change to people’s lives taking it ahead of its times. Imagine an Indian version of Siri in 3000 dialects of Indian languages. This is where the power of technology and future lies.