The curious case of Murthy and Obama

When Barack Obama (or Obama), gave one of the first press conferences inside the White House, it was on Governance. "Transparency and Rule of Law will be the corner stones of my government", he said. At the top, it is always easier said than done. But, in this case, I am, like others, more optimistic - for a reason. Less than a decade ago, a similar promise was made by Mr. NR Narayana Murthy (or Murthy). He did the same for governance of a different kind in India - the Corporate one. This marked a new era in India's Corporate Governance by introducing an unprecedented, at least in the Indian context, level of transparency in Indian business. Quarterly earnings reporting and earnings forecast were unheard of in Indian financial circles till Infosys introduced it.

With this as the trigger, I compared these two gentlemen, their background and actions. If my thoughts are right, then America has found its new FDR, and with it a long period of hope and glory.

Murthy was one of the first entrepreneurs from South India coming from a traditional, conservative Hindu family. Till then, entrepreneurs were equated to Marwaris mostly. Obama is the first African American president of the USA. It is indeed gratifying and humbling to see the great nation vote for a descendent of people who up to forty years ago had to fight for civil rights.

Both have highly qualified and responsible wives willing to sacrifice their professions to take care of the household. Strong men indeed have strong women to support them.

Both have taken great risks and started young. Murthy quit Patni & had to live from his wife's earnings until Infy won its first international project. How he succeeded is history. He too was supported by young and old advisors. But the decisions were his. Obama has made too many promises during the campaign and has only 2 years to effectively put his plans into action (in 2 years, he will have to start campaigning again!). He lacks the international experience that is the stranglehold of McCain or Biden. But, what he brings along is fresh eye, a keen ear, and a decisive brain akin to Murthy's. These are sufficient reasons to expect change from him. His long term perspective is underlined by the fact that he has already started a focus group to prepare for the next campaign and keep up with the pulse of the people. Unprecedented.

Murthy has been steadfast in his idea of responsible and sustainable growth. This one company continues to show the way for governance and responsibility in Corporate India. Obama needs to follow suit. Renewed focus on research (ex. Stem Cell), emphasis on energy independence, transparency in governance are ingredients for sustainability. If he can do to research & energy independence what JFK did for the space program, it will be impossible to shake America's dominance for another century. And it will be really exciting to see how the political equation changes in the middle east, whose oil, America is the largest importer of.

Why can't India be a respectable superpower?

An African American became the most powerful man on earth today. It is a moment of reckoning for a nation that for more than 200 years could not have a descendent of a slave leading it.

Liberty was promised to the Americans by the great leaders of the past, starting from George Washington, but it was not until Abraham Lincoln that it got its full meaning. Liberty was granted and responsibility was expected. Responsible behavior meant that human life and values were respected, that justice triumphed, that merit trumped influence, but most importantly, that equality prevailed. This is where the American society for the most part was successful.
When people make use of their liberties in a responsible manner and promote equality, then prosperity knocks on the doors of a nation.

Contrast this with India. What went wrong? We too were promised liberty. We still are the most liberal nation in the world. Granted that there are some inhibitions among the religions and their different sects, but for a nation 4 times the size of the USA, with so many cultural differences, we are generally a peace loving nation. So, why are we not prosperous. It is for the lack of the same reasons why America took the path towards glory.

Responsible behavior was and is in short supply. Inequality has been a hallmark of the Indian way of living for time immemorial. Equal opportunities had no definition in the Indian lexicon. Visions of the Mahatma and others followed them to their graves. It is interesting and appalling at the same time to observe that even the oppressed, after being given an opportunity to lead, have not made an effort to improve the quality of life of their people.

It is a psychological problem - a problem of greed. And an insatiable thirst for power while not knowing how to use it.

What we need now is a paradigm shift in mindset, a pragmatic new leadership, a young one preferably - one that is grounded in reality, is responsible, respects human life and believes in and promotes equality. This needs to be supported by people who live the change they want to see. Discrimination should be solely based on merit on a level playing field. One day, prosperity will be ours. And India will be the most powerful super power in the World.

Golden Globe for Rahman...but why so late?

6 days after his birthday, A.R.Rahman, the Mozart of Madras, received the one of the best gifts he could ever imagine. The ultimate is yet to come. But, there is something strange in this situation. Do remember, before you continue, that I am a die-hard fan of ARR.

Barring Mausam & Escape, none of the other tracks are really fresh or breath-taking compositions. Ringa Ringa has traces of 'Choli Ke Peeche Kya Hai' and 'Chamma Chamma'. Gangsta Blues is just a 50-cent or Eminem version of Sivaji's 'Oru Koodai' with a repetitive 'Me no care, Me no stare'. 'Riots' is nostalgic by bringing back images of the re-recording for 'Roja,' especially the scene where the camera judiciously follows the thread size lanes of Kashmir or the riot scenes in 'Bombay'. The worst of the tracks was Millionaire - a run-of-the-mill concoction of music from software mixing suites! 'New York Nagaram' from 'Jillunu Oru Kaadhal' , a very difficult composition with intricately synthesized sounds, is what Rahman should be doing more of.

After throwing bricks at the aforementioned numbers, I must say something about Mausam & Escape. A true gem from Rahman. An amazing exhibition of the Sitar's power at extracting adrenaline from the listener - this track shows that Indian instruments too can be effectively used to convey some violent emotions. Before the music aficionado can dispose that statement as meaningless, just imagine, can an ensemble of traditional music instruments or Indian classical music complement the scene? I doubt. Only western classical has been successful so far, or at least been used. This track also shows Rahman's capability at mixing a harmonic orchestra ensemble with synthesized music - an art form that another great, Hans Zimmer, is called the Father of.

Anyway, back to my point - what is it that helped ARR despite this not being his best set?

The Movie: Slumdog showed the world, what they wanted to see. Mumbai was fresh in the minds, a dirty India is always fresh in the mind of the western public and most importantly, it was the speed of storytelling. I call it the 'Brit Speed' - these guys have an uncanny knack of racy storytelling. Richard Attenborough's Gandhi panned through the Mahatma's eventful life in true Brit Speed. Hardly has a movie been made by Indians that could be immediately taken to the world audience.

The Language: Were it a movie in any other language, it would have been categorized as a Foreign Film which would have eliminated composers, cinematographers etc. Being an Enlgish movie, and thankfully shot by a British, helped. We do make English movies, but the less said about them, the better. English needs to be spoken by native speakers to strike a chord with the audience and critics abroad. This is understood by the Americans and British, not us, at least not yet. All India based English movies have their protagonists as native English speakers, who have the accent needed. Only the supporting cast is Indian. Eat this - Shah Rukh was approached for Slumdog, for Anil's role. Mahatma Gandhi was played by Ben Kingsley. It is time our film-makers understand this.

The Genius: Despite my earlier comments about the tracks not being great, there are still some sparks in each of the tracks where Rahman's signatures come alive. Jai Ho has a brilliant instrumental start, and a tuneful rendering of 'Jai Ho' by Rahman that pull up the otherwise typical Bollywood number. In fact, I can bet that if his compositions for previous movies like 'Dil Se' and 'Bose - a forgotten hero' and selected tracks from others, were riding on good Hollywood or well-made Anglo-Bollywood movies, a Globe and an Oscar should have been in his shelves by now. Pity that it took him 17 years to get one! Hope he completes the run with an Oscar as well!

Politics trumps everything...well almost!

- Current middle east crisis (Israel Vs. Hamas) - Politics - with elections round the corner, this could be Ehud Olmert's PR effort under the veil of security.

- Crisis between Russia and Georgia - Politics

- US' strikes on Iraq - WMD? Nope - Politics (Oil)

- Russia-Ukraine Gas issue - Ukraine defaulting to pay? - perhaps, but mainly Russian politics as a retaliation to Ukraine's plans of joining NATO

- US's unwavering support to Israel (where 40 people were killed by 6400 rockets in the last 2 years) as against requesting India to show restraint (where nearly 200 are killed on average) every month by terrorists - Politics! - to maintain a balance in the middle east!

- Delay in getting the Nuclear Treaty between India and US signed - Politics - from the enigmatic Left Front!

So, what entity is so powerful as to predate Political influence - Religion!

Why shouldn't India lead the Renewable Energy initiative?

A spat between Ukraine and Russia has resulted in gas supplies being stopped to the EU exposing the EU's fragility vis-a-vis its energy dependencies. Although Russia's intentions may be good, the fact that the supply is channeled through some troubled nations reveals the problems of supplies via pipelines that pass through different countries.

Similar may be the case with the proposed (now for a long time), Iran gas pipeline to India. And here, it is expected to pass through some of the most difficult regions of the world - Pakistan and Afghanistan! Hurdles that such a mechanism may entail are limited only by one's imagination.

This is where I believe, that India should hasten the process of energy independence. A strong domestic market is the safest way to economic success, especially in a world increasingly subject to the negative effects of globalization. America has sneezed too many times for the world to recover anytime soon. And the turmoil in the middle east just adds more insult to the injury.

India should chart out a clear plan of increasing the share of renewable sources from its current single digit percentage levels. To some extent, we are going well. At 7% (6000 odd MW), we are are the 4th largest country in terms of installed wind capacity. And the third fastest growing behind Germany and the US. Powering more villages through wind and solar is more useful than trying to supply them with hydel, coal or other conventional sources. The 60,000 MW of Nuclear energy that India plans by 2030 should be clearly set aside to cater to the urban population. And the dependence on imported oil and gas, should reduce at a drastic pace. Towards this end, a paradigm shift is called for in the energy sector, as against what the consulting gurus propose.

Expenditures in renewable energy generation has the potential to improve the unemployment scenario too. 'Engineering', and I mean other than software, will again turn out to be interesting subjects in colleges. Balance will return to a society where a software engineer has lost his charm. Mechanical, Electrical and Civil engineers will not be forced to find jobs in TCS, Infy etc.

India has always followed the industrialized world. Leading is a trait that we rarely exhibited, if at all. This is a chance for us to show that rapid growth is possible, whilst maintaining a clean and green environment. Let's do it.

Amsterdam!

The Dutch, I heard, had a policy of naming something the way they saw it. And that’s how this wonderful city came to be named – the dam on the river Amster.

I reached Amsterdam along with a friend on a Saturday evening. It was already dark, thanks to the winter. Thanks again to the winter as this allowed us to view the city in all its glittering glory for close to five hours. Christmas had just bid adieu, and the New Year was about to usher in, giving it a bridal look.

The city is entirely built on the sea. And the highest point is a bridge close to the railway station, the “Amsterdam Centraal”, and is a full 1.5 m higher than sea level. For the most parts, Netherlands is below sea level and hence the British named it so. Although a major portion of Belgium, and parts of France also come under this league, only Holland remained as the Netherlands in recent memory.

The Europeans have a wonderful way of preserving their ancestral properties. Most of the historical edifices serve as hotels, banks, public utility offices or in some cases administrative offices of manufacturing plants! While the façade is not altered, the interiors keep pace with time. So, one can have the latest cuisine under old time charm.

The Tulips at Keukenhof, the windmills on the country side, the Alsmeer floating flower market, the innumerable canals are some of the best attractions of this city apart from the variegated museums – Van Gogh, Rembrandt, Anne Frank, Rijksmuseum and Amsterdam Historical. Lined on both sides of any road are a vast number of restaurants serving predominantly Argentine, Italian, Indian and Indonesian cuisine. The second highest population after native Hollanders are people from Suriname. Oliebollen (or Oil Balls) are fried doughnut balls that are Holland’s most famous roadside food along with Vlaamse Frites, a kind of French Fries.

But Amsterdam, as you all know, is famous not just for its architecture, but also for the innumerable “Coffee Shops” and of course, the Red Light District.

There was a purpose as to the existence of these two star attractions. The oldest church in Amsterdam is right in the middle of the Red Light District. Initially, the ships used to land close to where the church was to be established. After traveling for a long period, the usually exhausted sailors tended to eye women and girls on the street for some pleasure. This apparently led the senior members of the society to request a few women from the society to lend their bodies in order to protect the majority of the women. They were promised full anonymity and good support. And to this day, it is illegal to photograph a girl behind the window in the Red Light District. These ladies do it just for the money and live a respectable life outside their shift. Everyone is above 18, youngsters are not allowed and the girls do not pose nude. Some also rank among the richest in Holland! The oldest worker is apparently 75 and still going strong!

On similar lines were the coffee shops established. Drug abuse was a menace. In consultation with doctors it was identified that some drugs had a lower hallucinating effect. And hence the government allowed the sale of these in small quantities in these coffee shops. All coffee shops have trained personnel capable of handling people who pass out. And the licenses are strictly administered. Once caught doing wrong, there is no way one can return to business. At 9%, Netherlands ranks the lowest in drug abuse in the entire EU.

Both of the star attractions are destined to meet the Dodo’s fate in five years. While these have come to symbolize the unbelievably open culture of Amsterdam, it has apparently not worked for the government, especially after the EU formation. My observation was that there was considerably less number of middle aged and old tourists here unlike other places I have been to. These are also the ones tending to spend more and stay in hotels and not hostels, thus increasing tourism revenue for the government. But, the exact reasons are not known to me.

Europe is generally conservative in constructing homes. Netherlands beats everyone to the finish. The apartments literally stick to each other. One can have windows only in the front and back. It is very rare to have it on the sides. The stairs are the steepest in the world with a few cases where you may be forced to crawl up the stairs with your hand! The smallest house in Amsterdam is just 1.5m wide and 3 m in length. The person staying there is 1.5m tall! Dutch, if you did not know, are among the tallest people in the world.

Owing to the fact that the Dutch spoke German (or Deutsch as it is called here) in a crude way they came to be called as Dutch. Amsterdam is the home of the Dutch East India Company, a now defunct organization, but one that ruled from 1600 to 1800 and was the world’s first publicly held corporation and also the first one with overseas trade.

While area around the central station is reserved for the old world charm, the southern part of the city is where the new high rises are. Amsterdam is home to the World Trade Center of Netherlands, and also to the corporate HQs of ABN-AMRO, ING and Philips.

Amsterdam is probably one of the few cities where exists a seamless synergy between the pristine past and a pulsating present. Where else can you find an erstwhile men’s prison that’s now a sprawling shopping mall?