One of the commentators on this blog responded to my comment advocating for 55% female representation and leadership on the Waqf board controversy with the following:
“When you want to destroy a company from the top, you put women in the C-suite. The same logic applies here, it’s a sinister ploy.”
Presumably (and hopefully), this is simply bad banter—my British sensibilities are primed towards the funny kind. However, given the complex issues around patriarchy in Pakistan, as Omar’s recent post on blasphemy suggests, it’s important to examine this claim and set the record straight.
Rather than engaging in such cynical takes on women in leadership, let’s look at the tangible results produced by women who have ascended to leadership positions—specifically the career of Indra Nooyi, the former Indian (Tam-Bram from Chennai) CEO of PepsiCo, and how her achievements compare to those of her competitors.
- Revenue Growth: Under Nooyi’s leadership, PepsiCo’s revenue grew by 80%, while Coca-Cola’s revenue fell by approximately 9% during the same period.
- Stock Performance: PepsiCo’s stock price surged by 109% under Nooyi, far outpacing Coca-Cola’s 67% growth from 2006 to 2018.
- Healthier Product Shift: Nooyi spearheaded PepsiCo’s pivot from sugary snacks to healthier options, increasing its “guilt-free” product revenue to 45%. Meanwhile, Coca-Cola struggled to make comparable gains in the health-conscious market.
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- Aspartame Controversy: Unlike Coca-Cola, which faced backlash for its use of aspartame in Diet Coke, Nooyi’s strategy reduced PepsiCo’s reliance on controversial ingredients, aligning the company more closely with evolving consumer health demands
- Environmental Advocacy: Nooyi championed sustainability initiatives, particularly around recycling, while Coca-Cola faced more scrutiny and criticism for lagging in its environmental efforts.
- Leadership Longevity: Nooyi’s 12-year tenure saw consistent growth and innovation, marked by 75 consecutive earnings beats—unmatched by Coca-Cola during the same period.
As someone of Pakistani origin, I feel a deep sense of both sorrow and frustration at the country’s current state. Yet I believe much of this misfortune is self-inflicted. India, a nation with a rich historical and civilizational legacy (see my newsletter on the Golden Road here), stands as a beacon of progress (the doctors of Lahore continue their medical dynasty in Delhi). Rather than embracing our shared heritage, many Pakistanis appear to gravitate toward cultural Arabization, often at the expense of our own historical roots.
In some ways, Pakistan seems to be sliding further into what is called the “Crescent of Chaos,” and tragically, this could be seen as a distorted realization of Quaid-e-Azam and Allama Iqbal’s vision. It’s ironic that while Iqbal’s most famous poem is cherished and sung with pride in India, he remains a relatively marginal figure in much of the Islamic world, except for Iran, where his influence still endures. The real tragedy, however, lies in the trade-off Pakistan has made: instead of playing a leading role in the cultural and intellectual discourse of the Greater Indian world, the country has relegated itself to being a secondary participant within the broader Ummah.
This is not to dismiss the significance of the Ummah, but to recognize the potential Pakistan has lost by not fully embracing its rich and diverse heritage. One has to wonder—are there any Brahmins left in Pakistan at all today? The virulent Hinduphobia and suspicion toward the subcontinent’s ancient traditions have natural consequences, and the loss of diversity & excellence is one of them.
This post was adapted to my newsletter as: “How Indian women shatter the glass ceiling.”
It’s ironic that while Iqbal’s most famous poem is cherished and sung with pride in India,
iqbal’s sare jahan se accha, is a marching tune in parades, nothing more. the common indian does not know iqbal or his support for idea of pakistan etc. muslims here object to singing vande mataram, a song which was banned by the british during freedom struggle. hence they use this song as an alternate.
sare jahan se accha will fade away, as iqbal’s pan islamic love shown in his anthem of aligarh muslim university, support for idea of pakistan, etc becomes more common knowledge.
this is not strange as ‘hindu’ india has already discarded the line ” ishwar allah tera nam” from gandhiji’s raghupati raghava raja ram.
Oh, I didn’t realize that Sare Jahan Se Accha is being used as an alternative to Vande Mataram. Thanks you for the context!
It’s also fascinating how open Hindus in India are to diverse cultural influences. For instance, I noticed a similar blend when a taxi driver had both Christian and Hindu icons in his vehicle. It seems that while Hinduism is quite adaptive and open to Western influences, the strong iconoclasm in Islam might limit cross-cultural exchanges between Hindu and Islamic traditions. However, the Khaleej states stand out as exceptions, showcasing a great deal of mutual cultural influence and exchange, which is intriguing given the region’s religious background.
You wrote a whole post on my snarky comment? I won’t reply to the ChatGPT portion so we can ignore. Coming to the real post about Pakistanis adopting Arabic culture and ignoring local Indian culture, this is just false.
There is very little room for independent women in leadership positions in Indian indigenous culture. Widows were literally burnt on the pyre not too long ago if luck was bad, or had to wear white for life with some good luck. This is the real culture of India, something which is forgotten in the wave of westernization, where jeans and shirt has replace local wear, where speaking a foreign language (English) is preferred and where everything western is aped.
That wasn’t a snarky comment; it was thoughtless. (If this is what you consider banter, then your madrassa didn’t teach you well). It’s also important to recognize and respect the female influences in your life. Imagine an equivalent remarks like, “if you want to ruin the C-Suite, put a Pakistani on top”—especially given that no major corporation has dared attempt that—could easily come across as offensive or dismissive. It’s crucial to consider how such statements might be perceived, especially in an online setting. In the future, you might want to use ChatGPT to avoid such inanities?
On a different note, could you share the “indigenous Pakistani” equivalent of Indra Nooyi? I would also like to know what I got wrong with Indra Nooyi’s specific achievements as CEO since that seems as a clear rebuttal to your earlier remark?
As for your second paragraph, which seems to stem from small pakistani envy, Nita Ambani rightly pointed out the dynamic nature of Hinduism. The concept of “nitya-nūtana” (always fresh) captures how Hinduism constantly renews and reforms itself. Quoting long-dead British anthropologists to suggest that sati is an integral part of India’s indigenous culture is not only outdated but shows a lack of understanding. It seems you haven’t visited India or explored its history and contemporary culture in depth whatsoever to be able to recycle such mindless tropes.
[https://x.com/RIL_Updates/status/1813229751844168173](minute 3:50)
1) In 2024, you are offended by an internet comment on women being unfit for leadership roles? Really?
I fully stand by what I mean, women are not meant for leadership, they are too soft and their ability to make difficult logical decisions and handle stress in crunch situations is severely limited. Girl bosses are responsible for the slow decline in Western civilization and this extends to all areas whether that be politics or business. It’s very easy to hold the wheel the ship is sailing smooth but no civilization was created and no nation triumphed where women were at the helm.
Let them stick to more care giving roles where they are more suited.
So when you ask me why no women are in corporate leadership rols in Pakistan, it’s not the flex you think it is, because I personally like it that way.
2) Hinduism is so dynamic that for 2500 years people married within their own castes to the extent that there are now genetically different ethnic groups living in the same neighborhood without any migration, to the extent that a parallel cannot be drawn from anywhere else in the world. But somehow you want us to believe that the ideals of the western liberalism and feminist movements perpetuated in the last 100 years are part of Indian culture? Lol ok. The Hindus of 150 years ago would not have recognized any of these “modern” Hindus larping Western culture and retrofitting it onto native culture.
The more Hindu regions in India are also the regions where women don’t take leadership positions. That’s real traditional Indian culture, not very different than Arab culture.
Engaging with this feels like feeding a troll (and let’s be real, it’s 2024, so I’m just calling it what it is). However, to clarify for anyone genuinely interested, true leadership requires far more than “strength.” The best leaders are those who practice judiciousness, emotional intelligence, and resilience, finding that oasis of calm amidst chaos. These traits—rather than brute strength—are what define effective leadership.
Historically, female leaders like Queen Elizabeth I, Catherine the Great, and Indira Gandhi—who, let’s not forget, led India through the Bangladesh Liberation War—prove this point (the former two essentially built their national Empires). In fact, seeing such entrenched views reinforces the need for Waqf reforms to go through, empowering Muslim women in governance and leadership.
Furthermore, Ambedkar, the architect of India’s modern constitution, solidified the ideals that underpin Indian civilization. If that’s not a testament to the progressive nature of Indian culture, I don’t know what is. Leaders like Mayawati, Jayalalithaa, and Mamata Banerjee are modern examples of women who have successfully led predominantly Hindu regions.
The mistake you’re making is imposing an Islamic straitjacket on Hinduism, which is, in reality, incredibly adaptable and dynamic. Hindu culture has always evolved, shaped by internal reformers and external influences, and continues to do so today.