The Globalising Indian

During my growing up years, mostly Indians were going to the U.S. for higher studies, and then, many settled down there. Hardly any other destinations.

Now I find my friends/students or relatives in multiple places. Canada and Australia seem to be the popular ones, though there are a few in New Zealand, Dubai, Finland or Germany as well. This is a sign of globalisation.

I think it is also a sign that a few more countries have realised two things- that you need immigrants to bring in some new ideas, at least in some sectors. And that Indians have what it takes, in those sectors.

If immigration laws did not exist (I suspect they did not, long ago when India used to be one of the richest economies in the world, even if under monarchies), people (labour in the words of economists) would probably be better able to redistribute themselves according to need and joblessness may reduce - hypothetically at least. The alternative, globalised production according to the cheapest location that can produce anything, seems mired in tariff wars across geographies.

Anyway, interesting to see where all the nationalist, anti-immigration rhetoric in various countries leads us..and what happens to the oil-rich economies when oil runs out.

Duty in Dubai

Went to a short trip on duty, but once I was free,  I did not miss the duty-free shopping for my essentials (read good single malts-everyone's definition of essentials varies). Anyway, the trip was memorable for my meeting an ex-student and her husband and two kids. Her little girl was naughty as hell, and entertained everyone throughout, remaining awake till very late (for a 2-year old). The stay was at Al Muhaisnah in the Dunes hotel which also has service apartments. Saw a lot of kids playing cricket early in the morning- the day is hot right now. The course we (IIM Indore) run there is a weekend MBA/PGDM. There is also a regular program for traditional students on other days, at the Dubai Men's College campus in Academic City.

Happened to pass by IMT campus there,  on way to an eating joint for lunch. Having been a part of IMT, I had visited a couple of times. And Smita, my student I mentioned above, had also worked there as an HR exec.
Smita's family and I went on a meteor-gazing expedition around 4 am. Were happy to spot five shooting stars in the pre-dawn period. Forgot to make any wishes though!

Learnt a lot about traffic towards Sharjah in the short time I was there. Luckily, my trip back through the airport at Sharjah was quite pleasant. Saw a lot of Air Arabia flights taking off, including one to Nagpur and a lot of Southern Indian cities. 

Ability Unlimited and Indore Convocation

There was a concert by Ability Unlimited at the IIM Indore campus two evenings ago. This is a group of artists under the stewardship of their mentor and Guru who, in spite of various physical handicaps, perform brilliantly. It was a pleasure to see their spirit, and as expected, it was a full house at the auditorium. They performed incredible movements, many times on wheelchairs, and their repertoire included a Sufi whirling dance (Turkish in origin), a Bharatanatyam performance and more.

Then, close to 550 students from different programs of the institute graduated in a Convocation last evening. Indore has a wide range of programs, from the Fellowship (PhD equivalent) to the integrated 5-year program called IPM that you start on after school (12th). This last is an innovative program, and is currently not on offer at any other IIM in India.  Ramchandra Guha, author, historian, delivered a wonderful convocation address, talking about India's secular, inclusive credentials and how we have not belied the faith of the founders of our republic, and have survived and thrived. He cautioned us that we were however, backward on our concern for the environment, and winning the trust of a few of our constituent states. His speech was peppered with witty takes, and it was a pleasure to hear him speak. His self-deprecatory humour added charm. He described himself as 'distinctly' second class, while talking about his foray into economics (undergrad and postgrad). What saved him was an IIM- Calcutta, by letting him do a fellowship in Sociology, which he grabbed with both hands and found his metier- finally.  Some professor remarked (on hearing he had moved from Economics to Sociology) that this was a Pareto solution- good for him (Guha) and better for Economics. Another cautionary quote from Ambedkar (1949) was read out, and essentially told us not to deify any politician, as that was likely turn him into a dictator.

By the way, we (IIMI) also have campuses in Mumbai and Dubai, where PG programs are offered in two different formats- weekend for working execs and regular for traditional students. Faculty here frequently teach in multiple programs, and get some enriching experience.

Sand Castles

When we were kids, we liked to play in the sand-at least, I did. I also built a lot of sand castles whenever we went to a beach. When I went to Dubai last week, I saw the biggest quantities of sand in one place that I had ever seen. But my feelings this time were mixed. What makes people settle down in vast oceans of sand, when there are several "greener" options still available? Of course, the economic answers to this are obvious, but yet, the thought lingers....

Anyway, made the most of my visit with the usual tourist circuit of a few malls and Palm Jumeirah trip, followed by the Burj, an apparition that dwarfs all other tall buildings like the Petronas Towers in Malaysia, and the Sears Tower in Chicago, and the champion of our childhood, The Empire State Building. Somehow, I am no longer impressed by tall buildings. Carlton Towers in Bangalore was a recent disaster which killed a few people, but in general, I am not convinced that these structures are really safe. If you can stay more grounded by being close to earth, I am all for it.

I again met an ex-student (Siddhartha Agarwal) unexpectedly at Delhi airport, whom I had taught at Kirloskar institute in 2000-2002. He runs his own business in Kolkata now. As I mentioned in my autobiography, this happens with greater frequency these days, and can lead to faculty delight, a close cousin of the customer delight that we marketing profs keep talking about.