Changing trend and opportunity for us to contribute for growth of India

Few days back, I saw Nandan Nilekani on "The Dailyshow" hosted by with John Stewart. You can see the video as well below. The show was about discussion on the book titled Imagining India by Nandan Nilekani. Being in Infosys for past five years, I know a lot about Nandan Nilekani. However, I would like to highlight some points from Nandan's discussion. Nandan says that getting the education right in India is going to be the key for next 20 years. There are many young people in the working age group in India, who can shape the future of India. At the same time there are many people, who are not getting the right education. There is one thing that makes me feel glad every time is that Nandan chose India as the place to grow in long term. They were seven enthusiastic persons with only $250.00 in hand and built a huge organization that represents the IT face of India today in many ways, if not all.

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart	M - Th 11p / 10c
Nandan Nilekani
comedycentral.com
Daily Show Full Episodes Economic Crisis Political Humor

As a result of current slowdown in USA and the globe, many students are coming back to India. According to a recent report, about 100k students are expected to come back to India in next 3-5 years. Recently I read an article about Indian students saying no to American dream. The number of students willing to study in India or planning to settle in India is increasing. Recently I talked to one of my friends who has completed Masters in USA. He was of the opinion that USA is no more an attractive place for him in long term. I am sure that he phenomenon of reverse brain drain will bring benefits for India.

Even the Indians who have been in USA for many years for job, are now planning to come back to India. Actually some of them have already returned back to India and are in process of starting their own ventures in India. One of my colleagues at Minneapolis has spent fifteen years in USA and is now planning to settle in India, after seeing the current job situation in USA. He feels that he has been far from his roots in India for bright future, but in current times it does not seem to be right choice to stay away from family in India. Also, the demand for becoming OCI (Overseas Citizen of India) is increasing.

I feel that we all can make a difference. India has shown tremendous growth in past few years and it became possible because of effort from each one of us. Let's use our energy and talent to make this country the superpower. Each one of us can do a little to provide education to a poor child. We need to make sure that the next generation of India emerges with much better percentage of literacy and growth. Let's join our hands together.

I conducted a poll in my blog with question: "Do you think if given an opportunity, you would like to make positive impact for growth of India at grassroot level". Eighteen people responded and 94% of them said "Yes". I would like to thank all the respondents and mention here that I am working on some of the projects to benefit poor children in India for their education etc. If you want to help with your time, effort or financial assistance to make a difference, then I invite you to join me in growth of India. You can email me to take it further.

Thanks for dropping by. Your comments are source of encouragement for me. I will be glad to hear from you.
You can also indicate your opinion using the check box below.
You can share this article with your contact(s) using the link below.

Leadership and "Corporate social responsibility"

We all witnessed recent Satyam episode, a never before fraud of it's kind in corporate world of India. Mr Raju showed everyone that greed for position or money can result in loss of millions for investors of any company. I see this unfortunate incident as an isolated one and not actually representing the whole corporate world. However, it is high time that companies in India and abroad realize their Corporate social responsibility.

I recently read a very nice article in National Stock Exchange of India newsletter, about implications of new SEBI Rule on promoter share pledging disclosure. The article is written by by Shankar AVSB, CEO of 7Avenues and Prakash Kumar, non-executive advisor for 7Avenues. The article explains the benefits of recent changes in regulations by SEBI and the interpretation of those for investors. New regulations by SEBI have started showing their effect in stock market, as many blue-chip stocks are seeing downward trend ever since their promoters disclosed their share pledge details.

There are not many companies that have been able to set example for Corporate Social responsibility. Infosys has stood by it's commitment to fair auditing process. It was great to hear from Infosys leadership that at Infosys, the bank statements go directly to the auditors of the company, which makes sure that the cash available with the company is the actual cash, rather than the inflated one as in case of Satyam.

While India needs leaders to become a superpower, we also need to make sure that ethics, strict auditing regulations and accountability of company's board members are given high importance. These are critical for protecting the future of the investors, employees and their families. We do not want people like Mr Raju who served as role model for almost everyone in Andhra Pradesh for many years and finally turned out to be a fraudster. In my view, true leader is the one who leads by example, along with ethical values in place.

Thanks for dropping by. Your comments are source of encouragement for me. I will be glad to hear from you.
You can also indicate your opinion using the check box below.
You can share this article with your contact(s) using the link below.

Bowl for a child - At Minneapolis on 04-Apr

Vibha-MN is hosting its 5th Annual Bowling event ‘Bowl for a Child’, to be held at AMF Bowling Lanes, Brooklyn Park, MN on Saturday April 04, 2009.

The event proceedings will benefit the underprivileged children in India & USA, right from poverty to education and to health care. Come, join us to have fun and at the same time make a difference in the life of a child.

Vibha is a non-profit organization whose mission is to educate, empower and enable every individual who wishes to make a positive difference in the life of the underprivileged child. To this end, volunteers at Vibha have fundraisers in several action centers across the US and India. The funds are then directed towards grassroots organizations in India and the US which are selected after careful screening by volunteers. The main focus areas of the projects supported by Vibha are:
1. Education: With a belief that education is the key to unlocking the potential of children and for breaking the vicious cycle of poverty, about 50% of their resources go towards education.
2. Vocational Training
3. Physically and/or Mentally Challenged Children
4. Children in Vulnerable Conditions

The volunteers of Vibha’s Twin Cities chapter organize events, drives and campaigns in Twin Cities, Minnesota and create awareness about the cause, as well as raise much needed funds to support grassroots projects in India and US. “Bowl for a child” has attracted good participation in the past. The schedule for this year’s Vibha “Bowl for a Child” is below.

When: April 04, 2009
Where: Earle Brown Lanes (AMF Bowling Center)
6440 James Circle North, Brooklyn Center, MN 55430
Timing: 2-5 PM & 6-9 PM
Tickets: $25 (advance); $20 (advance-students);
Group discount: Buy 5 tickets and get 1 ticket free*.
(*applicable only for 2 pm to 5 pm slot till March 25, 2009)
Tickets are limited, so hurry and reserve your spot!

For tickets and more information regarding the event, please visit: Bowl for a Child - 2009, or you can email me.

If for some reason you are unable to make it to our event this year, you may choose to contribute by making a tax-deductible contribution at donation link for Vibha. Remember, your small contribution can make a difference in life of an underprivileged child.

Let's make positive difference in life of at least one child

By now each one of us knows about Slumdog Millionaire. This is the movie that won eight Oscars in a row few days back. While this movie has glorified Indian talent in different areas of cinema, there are some important aspects of it, which we should not miss as a responsible citizen of India.

This movie has presented true picture of human trafficking in front of us. Though this movie has been filmed in India, human trafficking is actually a problem across the globe and that too in mass. Now next question that comes is, why it happens. Human trafficking has been going on for many years. Poverty and illiteracy are two of the major reasons for this. I came across an article some time ago, which said that child development schemes by Government of India have actually done very little. Fact is that the number of children unable to have minimum food (dal-roti) is increasing every year. On the same lines, it is shocking to know that Preeti Mukherjee, the winner of Oscar at same Kodak Theatre in Los Angeles four years back, is a sex worker today. List does not end here.

What can we do to stop this? While one person can not change everything, it is each one of us who needs to do a little at least. If we contribute in some way for providing basic education and food for poor children, then it will certainly save some children, from falling into trap of human trafficking. As a human being and responsible citizen, we should contribute for this noble cause. In case we are not able to contribute our time for this, at a minimum we should support projects for education and food of poor children. I am listing two of the forums here for contribution (I have been associated with these organizations).
(1) Vibha - This was founded in year 1991 and provides a platform for individuals who want to make a positive difference in the lives of the millions of underprivileged children in India. I have been volunteer for Vibha's Minneapolis Action Center for past few months.
(2) Kartavya - An effort of my college students in India to teach poor children. These children need support for getting admitted in schools after few years of education by college students.

Let's each one of do a little to make a positive difference.

Thanks for dropping by. Your comments are source of encouragement for me. I will be glad to hear from you.
You can also indicate your opinion using the check box below.
You can share this article with your contact(s) using the link below.

Are we doing our bit for community of eX Indian Security Forces?

It has been three months, since terrorist attacks in Mumbai. But Mumbai was just one of the instances of such brutal attacks. India has been witnessing many such unfortunate incidents every year.

Do we give few minutes of our busy schedule to think about the soldiers who keep us safe? While we, the citizens of India, enjoy cup of coffee in our home, the soldiers spend their sleepless nights in extreme conditions at the border. Indian Security Forces (Indian Armed forces, National Security Guards etc.) are the ones who come forward to help us in natural calamities too.

Few days back, I was talking to Lieutenant Colonel Navinder Narang, who has 19 years of diverse experience with Indian Army. He is in core team of XISF, the community of eX Indian Security Forces. XISF aims to provide a robust framework for the members of the ex Indian Security Forces community, to interact with each other in three key areas of civil life - Placements, Business and Socializing. XISF comprises of all ranks from the Indian Army, Navy, Air Force.

I have seen that in many cases the families of ex-Servicemen do not even receive the benefits from Government. we also have political leaders who are not ready to respect tremendous contribution of our security forces. Looking at the situation like this, XISF is a great effort for helping ex-Servicemen and their families, for them to find their ways after forces.

The video below explains more about the motive behind XISF.



While Government is doing it's portion of support for Indian soldiers and their families (though much of that may be due to pressure from citizens and media), it is our equal responsibility to support the community of ex Indian Security Forces. Few days back I read a news article about BJP promising help to ex-Servicemen, but as we all know these are not more than political promises. If you feel that you should contribute for this noble cause in some way (time, ideas or others), then you can get in touch with Lieutenant Colonel Navinder Narang.

I salute the effort and sacrifice of Indian Security Forces. Let's join our hands together to actually contribute for this noble cause.

Thanks for dropping by. Your comments are source of encouragement for me. I will be glad to hear from you.
You can also indicate your opinion using the check box below.
You can share this article with your contact(s) using the link below.

Is recession really closing doors for us?

It is official now, with Obama saying that it will take years to recover from recession. The problem of recession started with subprime crisis in year 2007, but a recession was declared much later and what followed after that, everyone knows.

Few days back, I read an article by Professor Jagdish Bhagwati, international economist and Professor in Economics Department at Columbia University, USA. He argued that the provision to restrict hiring of H1-B visaholders would deprive the US of the best global talent which comes in the form of highly trained and talented people. To quote his words: "In terms of broader considerations like the people who are coming in on H1-B visas - they're frequently highly trained and talented people and a lot of our progress and prosperity depend on having such people". He stressed that it is not appropriate to blame H1-B workers, as many of them eventually settle down in US, form new IT companies and provide job opportunities to American nationals as well.

I agree with thoughts of Prof. Bhagwati to a some extent. At the same time, I feel bad about millions of people loosing their jobs or business globally. I also understand that it is right of every country to protect it's own benefits first. Even Canada is gearing up for reducing immigration to reduce the impact of financial crisis. After having spent twenty one months in America by now, I can say that Americans have provided a great environment for growth and that's why individuals from all over the world see it as right place to work and grow.

In past few weeks, I read many news articles about increasing problems for H1-B workers in USA. With US stimulus bill in place, the US Congress has barred firms receiving government bailout from hiring Indians and other foreign workers through the skilled US visa worker visa (H1-B) programme, if they are replacing American workers. As a result, H1-B workers will have some impact, and that will impact Indian nationals too. Why I am saying "some" here is because of two reasons. First one is that the stimulus bill bars companies from hiring H1-B workers, but does not seem to stop companies from having H1-B contractors (not employees). Second reason is that not all the companies have opted for bailout package. Since it is global recession now, the overall business scenario of companies in US and across the globe is getting worse everyday. Whether we are in US, India or any other country, there will be impact on many of us. We all can see that everyone is sticking to their current job somehow. Attrition rate in companies has gone down.

I can write much more about the recession and the impact, but here is another way of looking at it too. We all have seen India growing at a very fast pace in last few years, yet there is lot more to transform things at grass root level. May be that this recession has brought some hidden light for us, or has given us a way to re-think about our priorities. Today, with almost every country having dependency on other countries, it is nearly impossible for a country to be isolated from impact of global meltdown. However, India still holds a good financial position comparatively. A lot can be done in India, whether it be in professional career, or for the growth of unprivileged society. Why not we realize our power within and take a step ahead to projects/ideas, to take the nation forward? Let's not be afraid of failures on the way. Failure is one of the very powerful ways to learn. In today's world, it does not matter where you are located. What matters is your thought and actions to make a difference. Many professionals like us have already starting working on related projects. You can find information on such projects in my earlier posts. Let's join our hands together to make India a better place for everyone.

Thanks for dropping by. Your comments are source of encouragement for me. I will be glad to hear from you.
You can also indicate your opinion using the check box below.
You can share this article with your contact(s) using the link below.

Leadership - The Thinking and Actions

I have been thinking about what is "Leadership", for quite some time. You will find are various definitions available for the word "Leader", which convey the message that a leader is a person who guides or inspires others.

I would like to present my view about Leadership and also mention about Sangeeth Varghese, famous Leadership Expert.

Who is a leader? Leadership starts with the idea of taking actions for change and once you are able to take decisions in need, you become a leader. You do not need to be CEO of a company, or hold a political position, for becoming a leader. At work life everyday, we come across words like initiative, leadership, innovation etc. and many times we find it difficult to deal with these. Sometimes, we feel that we do not have time. But, let's ask ourselves if that is really the reason for the difficult situations? Or, is it rather the fear of taking challenge, or the unexpected environment? If yes, then We have to overcome this fear and the key to do that is to have positive attitude. I always feel that attitude makes big difference in life. "Think Big" is something which will enable you to have long term vision and will keep you driving to take committed actions.

I attended web meet for "India Leadership Network" yesterday. I found it interesting and saw that each one of the participants was ready to change something for transformation of India. The discussion was about connecting all villages of India with Internet and work with various agencies to make it happen. Though at first look it may look impossible to implement, but it is actually possible. Ask one simple question to yourself. Had you thought ten years back that mobile phone will be so easily available in India? But today it is a reality. I still remember that we had to call telephone operator to make phone calls about fifteen years back. The thought and actions for making a change can make the impossible happen.

I would like to mention about Sangeeth Varghese, a leadership expert. He studied at London School of Economics and is founder of LeadCap, a movement with a vision to build India as a nation of leaders. Sangeeth is a mentor for several CEOs and start-up organizations. He was a columnist for Businessworld, the largest business magazine in India and also writes for Forbes, the largest in the world. He is the author of the bestseller 'Decide to Lead – Eight decisions that can make you a leader'. I came to know about Sangeeth few days back and was highly impressed by his definition of leadership. He asks each one of us to do start everyday things differently and contribute in goal of having many leaders in India. Sangeeth has inspired lives of many people. Even you can volunteer in one of his leadership projects. Below is the YouTube video, showing message from Sangeeth.



You will rarely find someone, who is a born leader. Leadership starts from thinking and can be demonstrated by the actions taken.
As Barack Obama said "Change we need" during election campaign, I believe it is time for us to work on "Change we need".

We are fortunate enough to get excellent education and work experience. Let's make best use of it. To make India really grow at grass root level, each one of us needs to emerge as leader. And, the time to act is now. Each one of us has a leader within self. We need to take decision for transforming India and come out of problems like poverty, corruption and infrastructure inadequacy. Remember, the change needs to start from you and it is possible.

Your comments are source of encouragement for me. I will be glad to hear from you.
You can also indicate your opinion using the check box below.
You can share this article with your contact(s) using the link below.

Political revolution in India

Today we are worried about future of India, because we do not see capable and honest politicians in India. We see corruption everywhere, and no politician really cares about growth of people in India. His/her own interests come before those of the country. And, we finally say that perhaps the whole system is like that. Roads are not good, there is no safety in the country and list does not end there. I am sure, most of us would agree with what I said so far.

Apparently there does not seem to be any solution, but wait... there may be. If we, the educated people do not think about it, then who will think? What if we form a political party which has professionals like us as it's members and who work for bringing the new young face of the politics in India. It may appear hypothetical at first look, but the fact is that the change is happening. The political revolution in the country is beginning to take shape.

Few days back, I was going through a discussion on "India Leadership Network" group in LinkedIn and ended up talking to Rahul Pandit, who is based out of Hyderabad and is working on forming a political party named "Yuva Party". With curiosity, I started looking for similar political parties and found that there are parties with similar motto, like:
(1) Professionals Party of India
(2) Bhartiya Rashtravadi Samanata Party

Here is preamble of "Yuva Party", based on my discussion with Rahul.

We, The active Members of the Yuva Party united for the protection and well being of citizens of India, have come together to form a new political party based upon the unbiased principles and values. We subscribe to our adopted Key Values of fighting corruption, Rapid Justice, Minimum health care to all , Social and national Responsibility, Non-violence, Respect for Diversity, Anti-divide and rule policy, Education, Honesty, Human Rights, Child development, Recognition and strengthening validation of media investigations, best utilization of tax money and planned infrastructure development. In addition, we support the Platform adopted by the Members for social activity such as helping the deprived, and elevation of standards of living for the Citizens. Thus, positioning itself on the threshold of a political revolution. We will affiliate with other Parties or groups in India and other countries as they accept and are organized around these or similar principles.

I thought that we all are busy in our professional and personal lives so much, still this person is willing to initiate the change in the country. I was impressed with his ideas and strategy.

Every big change starts from a small initiative. If you feel that you can be part of this revolution in some way, then do get in touch with Rahul at rahulpanhyd@gmail.com. Remember, even a small contribution in form of time, ideas or others can make a huge difference. In my opinion, this is the need of hour and we should contribute in some way.

Your comments are source of encouragement for me. I will be glad to hear from you.
You can also indicate your opinion using the check box below.

The power of will

Wishing you all a very Happy Republic Day of India !!!

Today I watched Gandhi, a great movie by British Director Richard Attenborough. I am thankful to the team of the movie for a bringing the tremendous effort of Gandhiji and all freedom fighters in front of today's generation in India and across the globe. In my view, this movie is a masterpiece of art. You can find more about movie at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gandhi_(film)

Rather than going more into details of the movie, the key point that I would like to bring out is about the power of will. Gandhiji always said that a person does not need to be physically strong, rather needs to be mentally strong to achieve the goal. I have always been firm believer of "Think Big". Everyday we face problems at work and personal life. It is very easy to blame the circumstances around, but do we have strength to accept the challenges and be mentally prepared to change the things? After watching the movie today, my belief in the power of will has strengthened further. When Gandhiji can bring change in India with his nonviolence approach and will power, why can not we? If I am able to accomplish a very very small fraction of what Gandhiji did in his life, then I will feel that my life has some meaning. So, it is time for each of us to realize our power within and achieve our personal and professional goals in life.

Your comments are source of encouragement for me. I will be glad to hear from you.

India Leadership Network 2009 - A Web meetup

How many times have we actually contributed for our country? Here is an opportunity to discuss with current and tomorrow's leaders about transforming India. A web meeting is being arranged by Manoj Acharya, owner of LinkedIn group "India Leadership Network". This group has been in inception for past one year and today it has 21000+ professionals and leaders as it's members.

Don't miss this opportunity. Go to http://india-leadership-network.blogspot.com/2009/01/iln-2009.html for more details and register for it.

The meeting will start at 8:00 PM IST on 07-Feb-2009 and will continue for few hours. You can even plan to present your ideas in the meeting. You will need Broadband Internet connection to attend it.

Please feel free to contact me, if you have any questions.

Power of RTI (Right to Information) Act in India

The Right to Information Act was brought into action in India in year 2005. Since then, it has proved to be very beneficial for people in India. With this law getting enabled, citizens of India can request information from "public authority" (generally a Government body) which is required to reply expeditiously or within thirty days. The Act also requires every public authority to computerise their records for wide dissemination and to proactively publish certain categories of information so that the citizens need minimum recourse to request for information formally.

Under the Act, all authorities covered must appoint their Public Information Officer (PIO). Any person may submit a request to the PIO for information in writing. It is the PIO's obligation to provide information to citizens of India who request information under the Act. If the request pertains to another public authority (in whole or part) it is the PIO's responsibility to transfer/forward the concerned portions of the request to a PIO of the other within 5 days. In addition, every public authority is required to designate Assistant Public Information Officers (APIOs) to receive RTI requests and appeals for forwarding to the PIOs of their public authority. The citizen making the request is not obliged to disclose any information except his name and contact particulars. To know more about the law, you can visit: http://righttoinformation.gov.in/

So, in effect, one can ask for information, in case of irregularities found at a Government office. Many Indian citizens have to face the brunt of corrupt Government officials even today and I feel that this law is very helpful in such situations. I have read about many cases in past few years, wherein Indian citizens got the information quickly from Government officials and made them to work for their duties.

I would like to cite a recent experience of one of my friends in Kolkata. He applied for passport last year, along with filling all information appropriately in the Passport application. At the time of police verification in Kolkata, Policemen asked him for Rs. 5000 as bribery, which he rejected. As a result, Police submitted wrong report in the Passport Office. After this, my friend went to Passport Office many times, but every times he was treated in an appropriate manner. He could see the corrupt face of country at that time. One day, his fater suggested him to go for use of RTI (Right To Information). He then submitted an application (RTI) to Passport Office and asked the reason for not getting Passport. To his great surprise, one evening he got phone call from Passport Office. The person on phone talked to him very politely and called him to Passport Office next day. On reaching office, my friend was given proposal of withdrawing RTI application and getting Passport within 2 hours. He accepted the proposal and got his Passport on the same day.

So, this is the power of RTI. I hope coming years bring more such laws and more importantly, awareness among all of us about such laws and the power associated. This article of mine is a very small effort in that direction. I am sure, we all can make a difference.

I will be glad to hear your comments. You can also indicate your opinion using the check box below.

Realty sector growth in India

I have been following information about realty sector growth in India and would like to put my thoughts here based on my experience as well as observation.

I am strong believer of the fact that for a long term investor, investment in land in India will never be a problem. This is driven by following:
(1) Growing number of people in India, resulting in more demand
(2) Increase in buying capacity of middle class and in general
(3) More industrialization and growth of the country, thereby causing shortage of land available for residential and industrial use...
And more...

Check out this article on Economic Times which is relevant on the same lines, as stated above.

The investment in a constructed house or flat in India might put you in risk in times of recession, but investment in land would not (in long term, say 3-5 years or more). If one has reliable contacts to invest in land, I would suggest to invest in this evergreen and best investment option.
In my view, it is better than investment in stocks, or any other investment, in terms of best returns, safety (if one has reliable contacts). Of course, one needs to diversify the investment portfolio, to reduce risks.

I will be glad to see your comments on this article and provide more inputs if you need.

Mumbai !!!

I am sure, each one of us has been continuously watching news online and on TV about Mumbai blasts. Like everyone, I too have been watching NDTV and CNN-IBN, along with news on Times of India online.

I decided to pen down my opinion in short about Mumbai blasts, the aftermath and where India stands in middle of all this.

First of all, I would like to salute every soldier who sacrificed their lives to save others. This includes even those policemen who are not in publicity provided by media. I pray to God that leaders like Mr. Achhutanand and Mr. R R Patil respect the contribution of self-less soldiers of the country some day. I also am thankful to those who saved lives of hundreds of people, by use of their wisdom and promptness. The person who annouces trains' schedule at Mumbai CST station did a real great job after firing started at the station. He continously kept announcing , asking people not to get down from incoming trains. There are many more unnamed heroes who kept us safe and alive today.

This blast has made me sad and angry. There have been almost eight blasts in past six months, but did Govt do something for it? Perhaps because those killed in earlier blasts were common men, not high profile executives and businessmen like those in Mumbai blasts. We have become habitual of acceping terror attacks very normally, with a frequency one city facing blasts in a month on average. This time it took three days to bring situation under control at Mumbai, after killing of many people, including foreign nationals. Media covered whole sequence of events minute by minute.

Where India stands in all this. India lacks coordination among intelligence and action forces. Security Agencies has been asking Govt to provide adequate infrastructure for Naval, Air and Ground forces past many years, but our politicians are busy with their cheap politics, rather than concentrating on security of country's citizens. Today, despite of having clear evidence available with India, US and Israel, India finds itself helpless in taking any action against terror camps based in Pakistan. I remember one of my friend told me recently that one of the retired army personnel in US told him that if it would have been USA in place of India, it would not have taken even few days to attack the terror camps in Pakistan. It is evident, it is all about power.

I feel that each of us is equally responsible for this. Here is how:
(1) I have seen in US that every person is vigilant enough to report ANY suspicious activity to police immediately. Can't we do the same thing in India?
(2) Indian Govt at least is feeling the heat this time due to media and pressure from aam aadmi. We need to make sure that our elected leaders keep us safe in our own country.
(3) We need to report about irresponsible policemen, because of whom whole department gets defamed.
... List does not end here...

It would take hours for me to complete this writing, but I stop it here...