IIMA - PGPX is ranked 11th in global MBA programs

5 years after IIMA started its full time one year MBA program (PGPX) in 2006, the program became eligible for participating in FT global rankings this year. And PGPX made a grand debut with the highest ever rankings for a debutant, at rank 11. What more could you ask for?

Interestingly, while the overall rank is 11, PGPX is rank 1 in career advancement and is rank 10 as per alumni recommendations. Infact among the three broad sections - Alumni career progress, Diversity and Idea generation, PGPX seems to have done very well in the first section. As an alumni myself of this program I cannot agree more with these assertions. The good news is the institute as I know is forward looking and is working on the other two sections (diversity and idea generation) - so good times ahead !

On diversity, I think we need to create more awareness among international students (eg. road shows in US, Europe, China and Africa) and lower minimum experience needed for admission (to 4-5 years from current 7) to attract more student diversity (I feel 28-30 age bracket is more amenable to move and it gets progressively difficult in general, as one ages). Ofcourse, there should not be any bar on higher end of age.

On idea generation, focussed tie ups (CoEs) with corporations needing management research can put the institute on the next S curve. In the short term, this will bring focus, speed and most importantly funds. Of course the flip side of not being able to leverage the reseach for everyone can be de-prioritised in the first cycle (4-6 years).

and life moves on...

It's been a long while since I have been here. I realise the original purpose of this blog was to document my MBA travails and that purpose has been served. Thanks to the support I received from my friends and blog readers, I drew a lot of motivation to come to this space and expressing myself freely. I feel it's time now to go and bid adieu.

I realised I enjoy blogging more than any other hobby. So, I am sure I am going to start my next blog sometime soon. Until then, its goodbye.

5th Jan '09- Re-opening this blog to all readers on requests from few readers.

Adieu IIMA

A dear friend reminded me of nostalgia when he saw the word Adieu. Last 4 days have suddenly become very hectic thanks to the PXCL tourney (done on the lines of IPL) and the Capstone module. Add the farewell dinners and photo sessions the day becomes really looooong.

PXCL was another master piece of Xian creativity (this time it was Vinay's & Venky's). The eight a side 8 over tennis ball cricket tournament was done in total "Indian" style. Right from players getting bid to matches played under flood lights in the evening and of course entertainment (sans cheer leaders). ITC was kind enough to set up its promos. This event brought all of us together one last time on the campus before we left.... and leaving on a high note !

Captstone simulation enables each team to virtually run a company in eight rounds, each considered as one fin year. Great experience as the exercise nearly brings most dimensions of running a business to class room. Like real business, this one is addictive as well.

This one year at IIMA has been one of my best years at life both personally and professionally. Personally, because we made some good friends and lived a good life. Sudha rues her leaving the campus more than I do. And of course little Ujwal would not even comprehend that his friends group is going to dis appear. Readers of this blog would know of how much this one year meant to me, professionally. The other day at the farewell dinner I spoke of few things I experienced here - 1. Inputs on business leadership (the 'tools' as well as learning to 'think', the IIMA way) 2. Personal growth (self discovery and how I relate to world around me) 3. Mentoring and guidance from some profs on career. I am glad I chose to come here and not to other schools I was looking at.

Biju asked me if I would like to continue this blog. At this point I am not sure. May be I would, or may be I start another one. My family (including my parents & sister) would be around to cheer me when I graduate on the convocation day. I would probably be more regular here during next few weeks. But for now, as I sign off for now, one of my fav Floyd numbers.. wonderfully done...

As we draw closer...

5 more days to go...if only there is way to stop time. Well that sums up our feelings just now.


an Ode to mother....

Bird Watching for a change...

24 days to go and it seems like yesterday, when I stepped in here. I can't think of a more appropriate example of how quickly time flies. All of us are going to miss this time for life.

Looking back, I couldn't have asked for more from this one year jiffy. I would rank the relationships I formed here as the greatest gift I got at IIMA above everything else. Also, professionally, I couldn't have asked for more - be it learning or post MBA options. I would dare say this has been by and large the case for most of us. We wouldn't have been where we are today, if not for PGPX and IIMA. And of course, we've been partying hard thanks to steady stream of job offers and the rolling placement format (that has helped stagger the parties!).

Some of us took some time out and went on a bird watching expedition to Nalsarovar and had a fabulous time together.

Six of us set off for Nalsarovar lake, 65 km from Ahmedabad. Vinay was the orchestrator and the rest of us - I, Gaurav, SanjayK, Ashish and Parry (Pramod) followed suit. Unusually, we were enthu to wake up and 5 am and catch the sunrise at the lake. The sight of rarest birds like Flamingo, Coot, Busturd was perhaps the driver. Memories of this trip make up yet another page in the eventful one year at IIMA.

My Sony digicam was more than handy and I was pleased to see some nice pics coming up (above: Seagulls feeding on nuts thrown by visitors as Sunrise happens).

What do I want to do and Where do I want to go?

Indira Parikh, the greatest OB prof in India (in my humble opinion) is teaching us a course called Managing Leadership in the context of organizational growth. The course has opened a set of fundamental questions.

I realise external triggers almost always were the genesis of my (major) career decisions be it going to Engineering (because every one considered good did that); or even doing an MBA. Yes, I have personal reasons as well. When I look back I was amazed at the options that were opened with schools like ISB coming up in India way back in 2002. In 2002, some of my most stellar colleagues had left to join ISB which caught my imagination. What was considered a remote possible option was alive again for me. 2007 saw me get there although by then I have broad based my target set (and of course my research led me to choose PGPX over others). On the other hand, I feel I did not do justice to my hidden interest and talent for Carnatic Music. I mean I haven't found time in my busy life to nurture this interest thus far. It is this paradigm of ignoring internal self and acting primarily on external triggers, which was my focus of reflection during MLCOG.

This discussion would be incomplete if I give an impression of undermining the power of looking around to learn and make choices. The point that is being made is, in this perpetual race of doing well, one has forgotten to stop by and ask what do I want to do and where do I want to go. Easy questions but no so easy answers. And certainly, making choices is certainly not easy.

Avnish Bajaj (of Baazi.com fame) lectured us some time back and I am reminded of his four pillars of life - 1. Professional 2. Personal& familial 3. Social 4. Spiritual. To hear it from Avnish esp after what he has achieved (IITK + HBS + GS + McK + Entrepreneur), comes with so much weight. I may be sounding like a bit like a soul after an Osho treatment but I kind of feel the sooner we ask ourselves these questions, the better off we are.

On a more trivial note, it has been a long while since I have come this space. Many things have been keeping me busy. I realise we would be leaving IIMA in another 47 days; can't believe how time has gone by. As I say bye for now, I reminded of Budha's saying: "All that we are today, is a result of what we thought".

Finally, I have IIPed

It's been a long while since I have been here. My apologies for the unusually long absence. I have just finished my IIP (International Immersion Programme). I have been to Amsterdam Business School for the academic component and did my internship in India. Well, it has been a eventful five weeks to say the least. You see, I am building a case for long absence.

First, it was a week at ABS. I am stunned by the quality of the faculty (pleasantly surprised actually). A friend at ABS tells me that they have carefully picked on the faculty to teach us this time. Feels really good in the end to be taught by one of the best corporate law profs in Europe(McCahery), one of the most reputed finance profs (Florencio Lopez Silanes), who I am told is touted to be in the reckoning for a nobel prize for his work on origin of corporate law. Amsterdam was so hectic that we could barely pull out time for other things that Amsterdam is known for.
Amsterdam was exhilarating in many other ways. I have met some interesting students, few desi ones at ABS and a Pakistani student on exchange. The school's support staff was amazing, thanks for all the help Kirsten, if you are reading.

The next phase of IIP was back in India. I was working on a supply chain project in the garment industry. For reasons of confidentiality, I cannot talk much about the project. On a personal note I have been able to get into a nice fitness rhythm, but for the recent injury. So grounded for three weeks before I start running again. Can't see my new pair of Nike & iPod+ turning into a sunk cost, if not anything else.

I have also been getting requests from the PGPX III students about information and other help. Whilst all of the 2's are happy to share most information, it would be useful to have a 3's rep. to collate issues of common interest and liaise with me / us.

As 2007 fades away and a new year begins, for most of us it's a new beginning. Here's also wishing our syndicate partner Rajesh a speedy recovery and healthy new year.

Why does the Global Indian gets drawn to PGPX- Financial Times profiles an Xian.

Della Bradshaw, Business Education Editor, Financial Times was here, last month. She spent sometime with us in the class, listening to Shafeeq present market entry strategy for a company wanting to go abroad. She has interacted with a couple of Xians (from the reverse brain league) and has picked up Sanjay to profile in her publication dated 15th October. Here are excerpts from her article.

After working for Cisco Systems for seven years in Silicon Valley, Sanjay Kuberkar decided it was time to return home to India. "I was keen on moving to Asia [not necessarily to India only] because of the rapid growth the region has enjoyed in the past few years, and the opportunities that growth presents to a professional," he says. "These opportunities are not available in the US."

He decided to use an MBA as a tool for returning to the Asian market and looked at programmes throughout Asia, including China. He decided on the PGPX (post-graduate programme for executives) at the Indian Institute of Management in Ahmedabad, a one-year post-experience degree similar to MBAs offered in Europe by IMD or Insead.

This year's statistics for the PGPX programme show that Mr Kuberkar is not atypical of the class. The average age of the participants is more than 31 and, although almost all are Indian nationals, more than 80 per cent have worked outside India and half of those had returned to India from overseas positions in order to join. Perhaps the most telling of the statistics is the average GMAT score of the class: 699, comparable with any of the world's top MBA programmes.

Mr Kuberkar believes it will open doors. "After the programme, I hope to either start a new venture in the healthcare sector [the business plan for which is in the works] or join a venture capital firm," he says. "This is quite a different plan from what I had decided when I entered PGPX, but PGPX has pushed me to think differently and think big and, at the same time, helped me discover . . . and appreciate my strengths."

The full article is available here.

No wonder, I see more & more desis (during the recently concluded interviews for next class) wanting to come back home and wanting to make PGPX, their beach head.

Color on Canvas says it all !

As we near completion of term3 and head towards different destinations for our International Immersion Projects, it dawns on me that the time left before we graduate would be less than 3 months from the time we return to campus after IIP (in mid December). As the countdown begins, I hear from the pioneering class on how dearly they miss the campus life. It kind of feels touchy & feely already ya. We've hit off as class from the T-Nite time and developed family level relationships. Here is a tribute to class X, mostly done by the spouses group. These works were created during T-Nite time.

1. You can have the cake and eat it too. Many faces of Class X.

Credits: Spouses group (Neelima & Payal)

2. As we draw closer to convo, smell the the confidence and dreams in the air !

Credits: Spouses group (Neelima & Payal)

3. Beating the market..

Credits: Chatty

As Professor Seshadri mentioned, learning and skill acquisition has been the key focus so far in first 3 terms. Not surprising, considering we have taken a year's time out to do this, at this stage in life. But keeping material engagements (read placements) to the end of the programme, where they should actually belong has been a hallmark of this year's sojourn.

Good luck to each of us, as we discover the road ahead and make a new beginning. Amen.

When Kids have all the fun !

This blog would be incomplete without talking about the bunch of people who are making the most of their stay here at IIMA. Yes guys, we are talking about the future of India, the generation Z - Kids of MSH (married student housing) are having a blast out here. Many of us, in similar life stages, have kids of nearly same age. There are so many kids in the 3-6 age group that we have organized for a dedicated van for all the kids to the neighboring school. But when they are not at school, they either gang up at one of our flats or freak out as their moms yap at the adda. I often turn green with jealousy looking at these Z's. Bete tumhaari bhee baari aayegi !

For those with slightly older kids, the dynamics at home are quite tricky; the conventional discussions on kids' grades at school are completely obviated. And for justifiable reasons. After all fathers are smarter than kids- they are not going to open Pandora's boxes!

Experiences of a Prof who taught PGPX

Prof DVR Seshadri who teaches Strategic B2B Marketing Management wrote about his experiences about teaching our class and contrasts with that of teaching PGSEM folks at IIM, Bangalore.

I have also been meeting aspirants of PGPX III (next academic class), who were here in Ahmedabad for interviews. One of the common questions is about the class experience and peer group learning. Whilst many of us often write about our class experiences (often a student perspective), rarely have I come across a professor's perspective. I am sure, professors who teach Strategy, B2B, M&A in different schools would concur with Prof Seshadri.

To read Prof Seshadri's article, click here.

The Cricketing Spectacle at Baroda

On this 11th morning, about 20 of us, die hard cricket enthusiasts woke up at 5 am in the morning and driven down to Baroda to watch India play Australia, with a hope that the series will be leveled. Well, the experience has been short of a terrific one despite India caving in meekly. For me, this being the first time at a cricket ground in India for an ODI, it added to excitement. The experience was good because of the gang I was with. Also, to see the demigods in flesh and blood from about 10-15 meters distance was interesting, at least as it began in the morning. As the day progressed, I did not personally like the attitude and way some of the 'boys' played. To say the least the Indian team's attitude sucked big time and I am not talking about loosing the match.

We were sitting right next to pavilion and had the opportunity to see the players closely. The players who stood close to where we sat (third man / fine leg depending) were Hopes & Lee (while India batted) , Harbhajan & RP Singh (while the Aussies shoved us). It is amazing to see how players throw attitude even when people cheer them and root for them. For instance Lee acknowledged when ever the crowd yelled well bowled when he returned after bowling a good over. I liked the way he acknowledged and simultaneously concentrated on the game. Take Bhajji on the other hand- his gesture was as if he is God's gift to mankind when the crowd said well bowled (after the 1st over). May be he is used to this way, after playing in many grounds in front of the cricket crazy fans. But great people always had humility even when they became big and I suddenly discovered these guys were also mortals. It's us who put them on this demigod pedestal.

One difference from watching it on TV versus in the ground- you can see what you want to, rather than what is being shown. This is where it dawned (hard) on us- the difference between both the teams. Bhajji again for instance, had an option of running for a catch at deep midwicket (the risk is - he may miss it and the ball may run down to 4) or taking it on first bounce with reasonable surety. No prizes for guessing what he did!! The point is if we have lost the match in our minds before we even tried, no one can do much. In this case, the only message I got was - what is the point diving for a ball when the match is gone already. So much for the spirit of game.

The other aspect which sucked big time as the stadium infra. I tell you, it reminded me of the customer choice, during license raj in India. I wish I had taken some pics but this one is the most disgusting aspect of the day. There were open toilets (can you imagine??) or the so called eye wash of a makeshift 4 ft x 4ft (tinned) four walls (or three walls + an open door). Which Indian woman would use these toilets? For men - of course it doesn't matter(we get close to nature pretty fast!). Barring arrangements for water, every thing else was bad. There was hardly any choice for food (for lunch) and the PA system was jarring. We paid Rs.2000 each for this spectacle (which was kind of middle range). This reminded me of the Bajaj scooter and the Ambassador car of the 70's and 80's when customers in India did not have a choice.

Agreed cricket sells in India. It is ironical that despite Indian Cricket being one of the richest in the world, the fans get such a raw deal. How long will the fans be taken for granted? For once I am so happy Subhash Chandra started ICL. I really wish them good luck and want them succeed. If BCCI starts to learn only when competition teaches them, then best of luck to them. Mr Pawar, there are plenty of lessons to be learnt from Hindustan Motors and Bajaj Auto. What does it take to create a Kingsmead / Wanderers / Lords in India? Why can't we have good facilities where people can go, have fun and really call it entertainment. We have many lessons from again the multiplexes and malls in India. If they are very close to being world class and there is willing public to pay and use, then why not world class stadiums? For instance, compare the drainage facilities in the ground between Lords and the best in the country. The Bangalore ODI would have been saved; I am sure the ROI for just putting an efficient drainage would be very attractive. But who is looking at it?

Why don't we professionalize BCCI? Run it like a corporation and the top team (the CEO and other C's) of the new entity will be accountable for say a board. Dissolve all the state level associations and create just branch offices of the new entity. With the advent of TV we don't have to worry about taking cricket to Indian villages; 6-7 world class venues in cities with good airports and hotel facilities are just fine. I am sure if BCCI has this intent and really keen to make this change, there will be many takers to join them in this journey from even institutes like IIMs.

But, like in many areas in our country, what we really need is the leadership. Who will bell the cat and put an end to this spectacle? But on a lighter note, our gang did well to have fun despite the many hardships. Well that explains why this spectacle still goes on.

The future of PGPX

The one year MBA format in India has been a revelation of sorts. The success of PGPX, ISB, PGPEX vindicate this. In my opinion, in the coming 4-5 years this MBA market will considerably grow, catalysed by reverse brain drain of the diaspora.

The larger picture is India has huge reserves of talent and for decades people did not have convenient choices to pursue their dreams. The back to back Engineering & MBA by the time one turns 23, few years of job & fun and finally getting married was the oft beaten path to a good life. Many who have not taken this path rued, as the option of studying later in life was only at foreign schools.

For some one who is married, settled with a good job / career, school going kids, the MBA proposition could be nerve wrecking change. I know of people in my class who have given up green cards, sold houses in US, relocated to India with complete bag & baggage. It is too much of disturbance for a family, but the good news is that the environment and systems are getting congenial to support such people. The Married Student Housing (MSH) at IIMA is a perfect example of some of the support systems that are in place. Completely furnished homes with 24x7 services at beck & call help, enable many comfort conditioned students to ease into the student mode yet again. Admission at decent schools for kids at any level is quite peaceful. Cultural environment in the campus for kids and spouses is awesome. There are lots and lots of things /events that are planned by the Spouses group and make living comfortable and enjoyable. In fact, they are completely independent (the spouses group eats out, shops, watches movies together) - suits us well !

We have been interacting with many Industry leaders and I am quite happy to see their responses meeting us. Recruiting people at lateral level with 9 years of work ex from B schools is not usual in India and Industry is adapting to this phenomenon. Placements seem to hog more than their fair share of mind space. But fundamentally, I would look at IIMA for-

1. Opportunities to get into different fields, if you want to take a job that is.
   
2. Access to funding if you are keen to start up.
3. Acquiring great perspectives and an environment to develop thinking and decision making abilities (getting a great job / starting up is only the first step... becoming successful there depends very much on these abilities)
   
4. One year of reflection, away from maddening / hectic work life for many... to think on what we want to do in life and at work.
   

Many months back I was speaking to an LBS-Sloan Alum and he mentioned that the real benefit of the one year he spent at LBS was visible only after 3-4 years of passing out from school. Strange it is. Isn't it? Perhaps no. As the Sloans get back to real world, they deploy many things they have acquired/developed - it takes a while to take things to fruition. This alum told me if I go there, I would only aspire to replace the chairman of the company I was working on return. Such is the impact of the programme. Well, not surprising considering they exchange notes with Bill Clinton, Tony Blair, Jack Welsh etc during their one year. PGPX is on similar lines. I have found great insights in all the interactions we have been having with the Industry leaders be it R.Gopalakrishnan / Avnish Bajaj / Basab Pradan / Ramalinga Raju. While we recognise the palpable internal transformation, the synthesis of many inputs and more importantly the visible external manifestation will take some time. So, in summary the real benefits of the learning here would be truely visible after a lag, in my opinion.

The design of the programme and choice of some of the cases is worth mentioning here. For instance, sample courses like -

• Role of General Manager
• Merger & Acquisitions

These are core courses and are designed specifically for the experienced participants. Cases like Time - Warner acquisition bring recent real world situations to class room. All this is orchestrated by some of the best experts... the professors of course. Many cases like Walmart, Cisco, Saint Gobain, Citibank, Nortel got more interesting as some of the participants brought in their experiences of working for these companies, to the class room. Need we say more about experienced MBA programmes?

So, while the risks seem high for onlookers for dropping everything and heading towards IIMA for a One year MBA, people who have decided to take the plunge know the risk-reward equations very well. In fact it's a skewed one here.. for minimal risks one is certain to get high returns and continuously over a period of next 25 years+. Irresistible proposition, Isn't it? I am not surprised therefore, with the surge in applicant pool by 59% over last year despite a 40% fee hike.

The decision on increasing the in-take (to two sections) will be crucial and it will be known in a couple of days. IMO, the number of interviewees would be an outcome of this decision. While all the 1347 applicants eagerly await their turn on the 10th September (when the PGPX III shortlist would be announced), here 's wishing all of them the very best.

1-2-3, What's the deal?

The media talking point over last couple of days- the Indo US nuke deal is made more mystical than it really is. I wonder why people responsible for removing the clutter and crisply communicating the nuances of the deal are happy letting the pandemonium continue. The framework deal, called the 123 agreement after a section of the U.S. Atomic Energy Act, has rocked both the democracies engaged in it. Leftists in India, are busy with a dogged search for a political plank/agenda within the issue. Even if there were one, it could be unraveled only after reading and understanding the deal in totality.

The leftist objections about passing on leverage over India's foreign policy to US, seem misplaced and far from reality. Yesterday I was watching a news channel and it was appalling to find many parliamentarians oblivious of what actual the deal is and its implications. Unfortunately, the text which has been made public a few days back, has attracted more rhetoric than critique. So much for much talked about largest democracy. The Communist Party of India (Marxist) (CPM)'s website parrots its opposition but does not enlist what are the specific issues it has over the deal.

Some facts-

1. India has 14 reactors in commercial operation and nine under construction
2. Nuclear power supplies about 3% of India's electricity
3. By 2050, nuclear power is expected to provide 25% of the country's electricity
4. India has limited coal and uranium reserves
5. Its huge thorium reserves - about 25% of the world's total - are expected to fuel its nuclear power programme long-term

Source: Uranium Information, BBC

Since economic liberalization on 1991, Indian economy and consequently industry breathed a new lease of life. Securing energy, the backbone to economy, obviously is the top most priority of Indian Government. What India needs most urgently is public infrastructure and Energy, which Industry recognizes and hence has come out in open to support the deal.

The deal guarantees India fuel supplies for its civilian programme, and allows it to reprocess spent fuel. The debate over strategic compromise is ridiculous as well. Reuters say-

"
The pact has to be approved by Congress, while India needs to get clearances from the Nuclear Suppliers Group of nations that govern global civilian nuclear trade and also conclude an agreement to place its civilian reactors under U.N. safeguards.

"The United States will support an Indian effort to develop a strategic reserve of nuclear fuel to guard against any disruption of supply over the lifetime of India's reactors," the text said.

If despite these arrangements fuel supply is disrupted, the two countries would jointly convene a group of friendly supplier countries such as Russia, France and Britain to restore supplies to India, it said.

While both countries would have the right to end the pact with a year's advance notice and demand the return of fuel and equipment transferred, "the two parties recognize that exercising the right of return would have profound implications for their relations", the agreement said.

In what Indian officials said was an indirect reference to a future Indian nuclear test, the pact said the two sides had agreed to take into account whether "circumstances that may lead to termination" resulted from a "changed security environment" or "a response to similar actions by other states".

In other words, if Pakistan or China conducted nuclear tests, the U.S. would take that into account if Indian responded.

"
Pakistan seems as confused as the left parties on the deal. Pakistan has warned that the accord threatens regional stability, saying it would allow its arch rival to produce more atomic bombs. I would not find fault with their apprehension as it is stemming out of years of mistrust and misadventures. The deal has taken already 2 years since originally proposed during 2005 visit of Dr.Manmohan Singh to US. It may take a couple of more months for all parties involved to understand the intent and the construct of the deal and how it serves strategic purposes. In many ways, the agreement which will last for at least 40 years, is attempting to reverse 30 years of cold war time adversarial relationship between India and US. Truely, if and when it goes through historic milestone will be created.

Bonsai Manager

Mr R GopalaKrishnan, Exec Director Tata Sons was on the campus during the first week of August. He interacted with the PGPX class for half a day and also spent time talking about developing intuitions as managers and how we can use it for making effective decisions. He being a great believer in role of intuitions in management, pour in all his experiences into his maiden work, "The case of the Bonsai Manager". Gopal uses his deep understanding of nature in driving home his point and he has been absolutely brilliant at that.

I was particularly impressed by this man's thought process and articulation skills. He held the class captivated for about 2 hours, as he took us through his learning from stint at Levers and now at Tata Sons.

His brother R. Srinivasan is another wizard (I've heard him a couple of times - even this man is a great thinker and orator) but works for another Indian giant ITC. Looks like getting big, runs in the family !

Presenting Class of 2008...

Class X's profile book is ready and will soon be available on IIMA's website. Get an early peek from here.

It is a week long break for us now between terms II & III. I am chilling out in Hyd and hopefully blog as often as I wish ;)

Cheers.

PS: Some people have asked me for profile book of Class of 2007. Here it is.

Macro Economic Imperatives for India

When India got it's independence in 1947, lot of things were in dis-array. For instance the low literacy rate (less than 25%), low life expectancy (22 years ! yes that's right) and many other disappointing socio-economic factors. While the population growth during the first 50 years of 20th century has been between 0.5-1%, it has been around 3% in the subsequent 50 years, leaving independent India to manage newer challenges than what British have left us with. 400 years of slavery under disguised merchants (The East India Co.) has made us extremely skeptical about business and capitalism. And of course the soft corner for Russia and the socialist overtunes of independent India's new leadership led to choosing a closed & controlled (by government) economy. It is relevant to mention that the gap between haves and have nots was vast during 1947. Market led economy would NOT have been appropriate for this context, as social resources were not distributed equitably. However, we continued with this model of economy for 45 years before liberalization. The conditioning was so strong that even talking business or investment made us feel guilty and shy. The Hindu rate of growth at 3.5%(GDP growth) was not surprising.

In the backdrop of this context, the progress India made cannot be dismissed as sub-optimal, for sure. Although, we could have done better without the Indian crab syndrome (pulling each other down) and politically motivated unproductive energies in issues like reservations. The vision of our forefathers was legendary, when we are reminded of creations such as Bhakra Nangal dam(Punjab continues to be the most the productive agricultural state), the IITs, IIMs and IISc. Thus, the wealth created in silicon valley owes some of it's allegiance to founding father's of Indian Economy ;) Many other investments in public infrastructure turned out to be world class, although we often discuss the failed stories.

1981 is a year of significant departures for Indian economy. The blueprints for change in policy has taken its zenith. In the subsequent 25 years, India has achieved more than what it had achieved in the previous 40 years, on any parameter such as GDP growth, literacy rate, infant mortality, female empowerment etc.

The imperatives for now, as pronounced by the Economic survey 2006-07, are sustained & inclusive growth and controlled inflation. I have mentioned (in one of my posts on this blog) about contract farming and PPP in infra structure. In the infra structure area, in addition to ports, airports, mass transport systems there is an urgent need to address issues in Energy sector. The Energy Act, 2003 has been a dis-appointment in failing to make an impact in 4 years of it's existence. I have a feeling that the center has been too lax in letting the states get away with delays in framing the rules. Why does even a progressive state like Gujarat move slow in coming up with rules to pave way for wind mill projects in a state having the longest coast line in the country? While Nuclear energy pact with US hangs in suspense, the biggest issues remain- of leakages and of line losses that need to be addressed on priority. Perhaps, dis-investing Transco companies and giving out management control to reputed private sector companies is a good way forward. These bold decisions need political will and unfortunately, the existence of a coalition government and its politics does help our cause.

As, we struggle to put a cap on inflation even as the rupee gains and IT industry sulks, action in novel approaches like large scale contract farming, PPP in infrastructure, Privatizing transcos is the need of the hour. There seems to be a trend or should we still call it a coincidence that the Finance minister, Prime minister and President are all professionals / respected personalities first and politicians next. Directionally we cannot go wrong as long as this continues even as the pace continues to be sluggish.

One down, eleven to go!

PS: Is't a picture supposed to tell a thousand words?

Indian Cricketing debacle and the AFTERMATH

No discussion these days seems to be free from India's early world cup exit. With the emotional Indians pouring out thru a willing print and electronic media, the milieu is fraught with sarcasm, mockery and violent emotional outbursts. Sure, there is money involved and lots of it, passions of umpteen fans and yes national pride at stake. But, I am not able to appreciate the responses of even educated and literate individuals to such a situation/ problem. My contention is that the solution does not lie in sacking some heads. Unless we are willing to engage with the deeper root causes and their remedies, the pangs and jubilation of an inconsistent team need to be contended with for ever. There are analogies of Indian cricket with some corporations. The approach seems to be- let us deal with the now and here, the short term, the visible action, the easily comprehend able aspects. Leave alone the long term, the abstractness of it, the complexity of getting behind feelings of gut and gumption (& going by it) and the patient psychological investment required. But come to think of it- all great teams the Australians since Allan Border,the GE since Jack Welsh have only taken the latter path. There are no quick fixes, friends !

Passion and sport remind me of Brazil. If we are so passionate about this game and if there is money even if not as much as that in soccer clubs, then we need to examine as to why Brazil can do it and we slip. I am of the opinion, that in years Indian Cricket has taken two goods decisions by getting two successive professional coaches in John and Greg. These guys in my opinion are among the best coaches of the game. Don't forget, Greg Chappel has been dubbed the best coach the game has seen before he became Indian Coach. If his exit is inevitable, I am sure it doesn't help his CV either. But let's come back to the issue. Again, in Sourav and Rahul we have perhaps the better captains India had in ages. The record speaks for itself. What then is the problem? In my opinion, the way we groom teenagers into cricketers, the facilities, the selection pyramid and the way we administer the game. How can politicians and other elite civilians run BCCI in honorary positions with no accountability? I would rather have the entire BCCI and state associations dissolved and set up a company with BCCI's coffers with professional managers and run it like an enterprise. Pay the people who work for this enterprise and make them accountable for their job. Make their operations and finances transparent thru their website. We are seeking accountability from players when they don't perform. Ironically, we seem to be completely oblivious of BCCI's performance and the way it is run when this impacts Indian Cricket more harder and deeper, just that it is not as directly visible to common man every day !

But then again all this calls for sustained effort and patience over the long term and more importantly a willingness to deal with the abstract and the unpleasant. And yes, some people cannot make money thru illegitimate ways. Are we game?

There is a talk going on to bring Sachin / Yuvraj as Captain. This makes me really laugh. Loosing two out of four matches in world cup can mean more than winning 17 One dayers on a trot. In my opinion, when you select a captain do your homework well before. Because, teams and leaders are not built over night. It certainly helped that Sourav was India's captain for 5 years. And Graeme Smith was a disaster in the intial years for South Africa and his age and context did not make it easy for him either. Look at any captain who eventually became successful- Stefen Flemming, Arjuna Ranatunga, Sourav Ganguly- All of them were lucky to have been at helm for considerable period of time. So, Rahul Dravid - is he a bad leader / is his integrity questionable? / has he not shown commitment? Well, I do not think so. Hence asking for his head in order to assuage public anger may not be the solution Indian Cricket needs now. My suggestion would be to persist with him and build a team and identify his successor and groom him to take over the reigns in 3-4 years time. Let Rahul be part of his succession planning, himself.

The way league cricket is played in India can also be reviewed. Spending the money to build infra, facilities, grooming future cricketers even though crowds may not be keen to watch such matches would be the key. We may also look at keeping 2-3 positions for international players in various teams like in the county cricket. That will bring early exposure and experience to budding players.

Clearly, there seems to be more to what we ought to do with the game, a complete overhaul of the system which will take time, money and efforts. Emotional outcrys to roll some heads will not solve the problem. I really wish, WC 2007 is a good wake up call.

Nostalgia

Last week was also catching up time. I had been to my in laws place after a gap of 3 years. On our way back we had been to our ancestral home in our native village. We travelled from Hyderabad to Vijayawada and en route passed through Warangal.

As the train passed thru Warangal felt really nostalgic. It was at this station where I got down and boarded trains for 4 years, almost 11-15 years back. Time really flies.

Feels like all this happened yesterday. And between this yesterday and today I graduated, worked for 11 years, got married and became a father ! Imagine fast forwarding the same quantum of time and I'll be 48 ! What would I have accomplished in life by then? Hopefully I would have discovered the purpose and found my calling. Amen.