Talking Point

Danny Boyle’s, eight Academy Awards winning yet controversial film Slumdog Millionaire, set and filmed in India, gave the country another name derivative – the Slumdog Land. The name tagging apart, the film also carried a deeper symbolism for India, a land of many contradictions.

As India surges forward in taking big strides of development, there are millions of slumdogs, aspiring to become millionaires all over the country in their own entrepreneurial ways. The making of new India thus needs a thoughtful blend of big ticket macro development as well as the inclusive growth of micro-small-mid sized enterprises for a sustainable growth movement. 

 

Back to basics, 4th Feb 2009: I was checking in at the Singapore Airlines counter at the Manila International Airport for the ‘n’th time. I had a packed, hectic schedule ahead. I would visit a number of cities in India as part of a consulting assignment for MicroSave, a Lucknow based company that provided capacity building services to microfinance institutions (MFIs) in India and elsewhere. My assignment was to review MIS and technology aspects of selected MicroSave MFI partners and also make a presentation at a seminar organized by MicroSave on the topic of technology for microfinance.

I looked forward to this trip to interact with people in various parts of the country and reset my impressions about different facets of life in India, with which I was not directly in touch for quite some time. Also, I looked forward to visiting places across the country, some familiar and others that I had never visited before. I reached Kolkata at 8.30 in the evening. The waning winter evening weather felt delicately perfect as I took a prepaid taxi home.

The salvation highway, 5th – 8th Feb: I spent a few days catching up with parents, relatives and friends. On Sunday afternoon I met the two gentlemen from MicroSave, with whom I would be working during my stay in India. We met at the ‘Haldiram’s’ i shop on the road leading to the airport. The introduction over, we agreed to meet at the same place the next day at 8.15 am, to begin work with the first MFI partner, located not far from the Kolkata airport. I then headed to Uttarpara, in the outskirts of the city of Kolkata to spend time with my in-laws.

The road to Uttarpara usually involved negotiating seemingly never-ending series of traffic-congested, dusty roads and finally crossing a bridge across the river Hooghly. For most part, this bridge remained chocked with vehicles of all forms and shapes, at best moving at snail speed. However, this time, the taxi took a new highway that had recently come up. The new highway rose majestically above the hustle and bustle of Kolkata’s otherwise dilapidated, century-old road network and within fifteen minutes we were at the base of the notorious bridge over the Hooghly. This time though, the bridge looked absolutely clear of traffic. The reason was soon apparent. Next to this antiquated bridge stood a brand new one, on which most of the heavy traffic flowed in an orderly manner! What a change… transformation really!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The temple of ‘Dakshineshwar’ ii, visible across the bridge looked so serene and at peace. It had finally been able to answer the prayers of millions of devotees!   

To be continued …

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i Haldiram Bhujiawala: Is a company that manufactures and sells packaged Indian snacks. The Haldiram brand is well known throughout India and beyond. Haldiram has also set up a chain of fast-food outlets that sell their products as well as tea, coffee, soft drinks etc.

ii Temple of Dakshineshwar: A temple (built in 1855) dedicated to the worship of goddess Kali made famous by Sri Ramakrishna Paramahansa, its chief priest from inception till his death in 1886.