'My India is very contemporary and very urban,' she says. 'It's culturally self-confident, it has an open, rapidly growing economy and it's an emerging world power. It's an India not bogged down by problems.'

The India envisioned by its founding fathers, Mahatma Gandhi and Jawaharlal Nehru, was one where the emphasis was on simple living, sacrifice and service to the poor. Do such values carry any weight for today's upwardly-mobile Indian?

'These values do play like childhood tapes in our heads, since they're drilled into us in school,' Ms Dalmia says. 'Every textbook, for instance, opens with Gandhi's famous exhortation to always consider what impact our actions would have on the poor. But as adults we learn to think and act differently.'

Ms Dalmia believes that in an expanding economy there are opportunities for everyone and, though large sections remain poor, the fruits of development will eventually be available to them. 'India is a complicated country, and development is bound to be messy. But we're on the right path. I certainly don't believe my sacrificing anything will help others,' she says.

For her, the opening up of the economy and the rapid growth of the private sector provide hope for the future. 'In the past, tight government control of the economy meant progress was very slow,' she says. 'My generation has seen how effective the private sector is, how rapidly things can change. So we remain very disillusioned by the government. But we still expect the government to step up to it, though we don't rely on it as the sole provider.'

India is often compared with China, so how do the young view the rapid advances made in the neighbouring country?

'I'm very aware of the fact that we don't have a Shanghai,' she says. 'But I feel China's development has also come at a price. We have remained a democracy, so it's not possible for us to do everything that China has achieved.'

At the same time, she believes India needs strong leaders and a 'draconian' implementation of laws. 'I can't think of any national leader in India capable of providing strong government like in China,' she adds.

Distortions in the condition of women in India, such as female infanticide or the killing of brides over dowry disputes, can be corrected only through strict law enforcement.

It also saddens her that most parents still give priority to educating sons over daughters.

Ms Dalmia has never visited Pakistan - it's not easy to get a visa - but she has met many young people from there. In fact, when she was 14, just as the internet revolution took off, her first e-mail friend was a Pakistani.

'Indians feel an emotional closeness and great cultural affinity with Pakistanis,' she says. 'So there's an inkling of regret about the animosity. I do remember though that my Pakistani e-mail friend was very quick to defend her country against any criticism. Pakistanis do seem a bit insecure about their own country.'

Although the renewed Hindu-Muslim confrontation in her own country worries her, she feels India has always overcome such challenges. 'Hindus and Muslims share a common culture, and that's our strength. This is deeply ingrained in our psyche and in our heritage, so I feel confident that despite everything we will retain our syncretic culture.'

India is where the future lies. 'The quality of life here is in many ways better than abroad, and I think we're heading in the right direction.'