New Delhi, Sept. 24 -- India's complexities have for millennia confounded Western travellers, traders and observers. Many have referred to this ancient civilization as a riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma. While the original quote is said to be Winston Churchill's take on Russia, many observers think it is apt for India.

After all, it is difficult to lump over 1.4 billion people across different states, speaking in multiple tongues and working through complex hierarchies of caste and class, into the strait-laced categories of the West.

While this smorgasbord of cultures is India's innate strength, it fails the smell test when used as an excuse for lax governance norms. As Indian markets integrate with the global marketplace, a...