"Focus On Education, Especially In Rural India"

Which sectors do you feel went wrong since Independence?
I don't know whether I'm competent to make such a statement but, personally, I think this trend of liberalisation has highlighted that the nation should have taken a much serious view of its core sectors. We need to focus on it, develop it and get it working right away. I think the infrastructure sector needs more attention than anything else at this stage.

What specific steps are needed to rectify these wrongs? Who needs to do this - the public or the private sector?
It needs total involvement of the government and participation of the private sector. Plans must be made to develop airports, ports, roads, ensure power and provide drinking water to every citizen. Even foreign companies need to be involved. Joint involvement of public and private sectors will allay fears of manpower loss which seems to be bothering many people in the wake of privatisation.

The deadline for each task...
There must be a fixed time-frame and quality control. Otherwise, we will be doing the same project again and again, which has been unfortunately happening in India. The focus should be on time and costs. The world works that way. India must follow such patterns to attain global standards.

How do you downsize the government?
Again, I'm afraid I can't give you specific answers. But it's happening everywhere. We call it redeployment of labour. It's for the government to find alternate ways for laid-off workers. It's a global issue as all state-owned companies have started downsizing. Globally, more people are getting into private entrepreneurship. As India integrates into a global economy, trends followed by governments worldwide will also be followed here. State-owned companies must make profits to keep their head above water. I read in the papers about trade associations like cii recommending closure of loss-making nationalised banks. Almost all public sector units - even loss-making ones - are over-staffed. Also, Indian companies must ensure that they bring the best from all around the world in terms of practices, technology, etc. to be globally competitive.

How does one relocate talent and material resources for optimum effect?
Utilise people in newly developed areas. Efforts should be made to find new markets - both in India and overseas. Especially in areas like infotech where Indians can contribute significantly in the IT-enabled services sector.

How do we harness the resources of NRIs?
There's a growing interest among NRIs to give back a portion of their knowledge and power to India. I'm on the boards of several groups that are quite active. I've been involved in Indus Entrepreneurs, a group promoting entrepreneurship in India. They've been coming here every year and now will open chapters across India to augment their work. That's one example. There are many more. I think we (read government) must be open to it, invite them and help make it happen.

How do we get the maximum benefit out of India's technical manpower pool?
India anyway is exporting a lot of talent which is fine. Today, global talent will seek opportunities wherever they exist. You can't stop people from going abroad and it isn't right. What I think is going to happen is simple. All this talent you talk about is actually already on a process of search and find. Today, you can do more things from a distance and the scope is much greater than ever before. And as the broadband comes into being, I think all kinds of services are possible to be provided from a distance and it can be provided very cost-effectively from India. That's a huge opportunity.

In which areas does India have competitive advantage?
Globally, services are becoming increasingly important and multinationals are looking at India to develop their talent pool and provide services. The opportunities are immense.

How will schoolchildren tackle tensions arising from increased competition?
I have a six-point agenda for them. Make the right career choice and do exactly what your heart tells you, avoid narrow thoughts, help others so they help you in turn, make others become successful, take some risks in life to grow in stature and never stop making efforts to achieve your passion. Students need to follow this and parents must help them rather than impose their ideas.

When will an Indian brand make a global mark?
Part of it (why an Indian brand hasn't made the cut) has happened since it has been such a sheltered market for so long. So, Indian companies haven't developed global competitiveness. The major advantage of liberalisation is that even though the investment here may not be that high, it has made Indian companies understand one simple fact - that you have to be globally competitive. Indian companies are slowly realising that. The world is much more interconnected today and everybody has to be competitive. And as Indian companies get more competitive, they will slowly become world class. Then they will have the possibility of actually going much beyond India.

Is India globally still seen as a land of sadhus and snake-charmers where the Taj is the only monument worth a photograph? If you were to market India across the world, what attributes would you project?
The image of India may be different in different countries but I can tell you Indians have a high professional image in the US. Most Indians there are successful entrepreneurs and professionals. They are great ambassadors for the country. People in the US assume that Indians have a lot of talent, especially in technical fields. So, there's a good impression about India. I don't necessarily buy into these stereotypes. But I do think there's a value in making sure the right kind of image is projected and that we work towards presenting what modern India is today and not just stereotype images which have no meaning.