Chronicles of a Jongleur

I have been reading Thomas Friedman’s “The World is Flat” and its amazing how lucidly and unequivocally he has portrayed the role of technology in building a “barrier free world” that has come to define the 21st century society. Amongst other things, he has scathing comments on America’s indifference to the changing world and is particularly vitriolic on its present leadership. He waxes eloquently on JFK’s foresight and imagination; to quote

“To be sure, it’s not easy to get people passionate about the flat world. It takes some imagination. President Kennedy understood that the competition with the Soviet Union was not a space race but a science race, which really was an education race.”

He later lambasts President Bush for being too preoccupied about protecting oil wells in Iraq, and slamming him for the Congress’ initiative to cut down the annual funding of the National Science Foundation (NSF) by $100 million. He says the focus should have been on something more productive to society in general, like a crash program for alternative energy to make America energy self sufficient within 10 years. In typical Friedman style, he ends saying,

“Unfortunately for America, it will appear as though I will go to the moon before President Bush goes down this road.”

Ha ha. Hit the nail on the head Friedman – way to go.

This set me thinking about India’s politicians, and their role in India’s transformation in the last decade and a half- from being a nation on the verge of bankruptcy to being the next generation’s turbo charged economic machine. This is a little article in itself, and is a meager attempt at identifying the 5 most influential political honchos who have/are taking/will take India into the next decade in overdrive. This is not a comprehensive list and is open to generous debate-  so people bring out your guns and start firing away at my choices.

The Jongleur’s choices (in no particular order) are:

1) Dr.Manmohan Singh – If ever there was a gatekeeper who hacked down the shackles of India’s economic sluice gates, look no further than the genial Sikh. A PhD from Oxford University, he (almost) single handedly oversaw the transition from a Stalin-esque India bound by the chains of Nehru’s protectionist attitudes of the Indian industry. People may not agree with his party’s policy, but the fact is that he is a persona (Is Sitaram Kesri reading this?) who can stand up and be the face of modern India in an international arena. Smaller things like asking Bush and Co. to go to hell when it came to India’s nuclear stance only reinforces my belief that here is a man who will not buckle under the threat of isolation, and believes (to borrow a phrase from Friedman), that India does not just want to dance with the wolf, it wants to be the next wolf.

2) Chandrababu Naidu: If Aishwarya Rai is sexy, self-centered and dumb; please use the exact opposites for Chandrababu Naidu. Don’t be fooled by that shaggy mane and the unkempt look, for that could not have been the reason for Hyderabad’s transition from a sleepy biryani town to the modern day Cyberabad. Probably the most influential person in the last 15 years to steamroll Andhra Pradesh into the realm of Economic powerhouses, this man long realized the potential that C++ and BPO had in transforming the rice/dust bowl of India to the watering holes for the likes of Microsoft/Satyam and Amazon.

3) Palanivel Chidambaram: If ever there is one person who epitomizes the word “charisma” he is the man. Finally one politician who actually makes you want to listen to him rather than clicking away the remote control to another television channel. If Manmohan Singh opened the floodgates, he was the man who ensured they remained open. A graduate of Harvard, his impeccable demeanor and captivating personality gladly veils one of the shrewdest lobbyists that our country so badly needs. Too bad that petty local politics and a general volatility in political attitude ensured that this likeable entity always ended up second best.

4) Dayanidhi Maran: With India riding the crest of the Information and Outsourcing revolution, you would have imagined that the bum who was awarded the IT portfolio would sit and twiddle his thumbs gloating in the efforts of the past governments. Here was a man who took a different approach and dreamed up the impossible, keep up the software momentum whilst simultaneously developing a hardware expertise so that one would complement the other. That’s precisely the reason why global behemoths like Motorola, Nokia, Samsung, Caterpillar, Cisco and a many more decided to venture beyond the comforting confines of Tianjin and Hangzhou to the steamy SEZ’s of NOIDA and Sriperembadur. I will turn a blind eye to the scandals and accusations levelled at him for being  parochialistic towards his Tamil roots, for  the collective benefits of his efforts at dreaming big far outweigh everything else. And in a decade from now, if India does evolve into a manufacturing force to be reckoned with, please do look back and take your hats off to this man.

5)  Dr.Avul Pakir Jainulabdeen Abdul Kalam:

Who says 74 is too old for forward thinking? Name one sane person who dislikes Dr.Kalam in the shoes of the President of India and I will walk from Delhi to Chennai on my hands. The epitome of modern day thinking with an uncanny ability to ALWAYS look ahead and deduce positivity, Dr.Kalam can be safely labelled under the category of universally admired, respected and listened to. At 74, he is one person who refuses to be bullied by petty confrontations and communal squabbles within the Indian democracy; instead setting precedents where no Indian President dared to step into before. Open Source Software? How about doing a sortie with the Indian Air Force? Or was it going to MS Subbulakshmi’s house to give her the Bharat Ratna that humbled lesser souls? And how does it feel to be nominated as one of the prospective for its MTV India Youth Icon for the year 2006 Award? Please chuck that Playboy and go read “Wings of Fire” for a change. This man redefined the paradigm of the typical stuffy Indian President, while more self-indulgent idiots were more obsessed in gladly squandering valuable tax-payers money on enforcing dress codes and banning cell phones on campus.

So lads and ladies, thats my list. Whats yours?