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 path.

28th Feb 2009: It was the last day of my trip. In the morning I went for my customary eye check up at “Sushrut” the eye hospital set up by my uncle, Dr. Sunil Bagchi, a renowned eye specialist. Sushrut offers low-cost but quality eye care to the masses.  For a modest fee of Rs. 50 one can avail of the best in eye care. Even the rates at the in-house spectacles shop seemed unbelievably low. I have always admired this great initiative and this time discussed with Dr. Bagchi the possibility of taking the concept to the districts and rural areas, where quality eye care was not available.  Unnecessary (and preventable) blindness resulted in a massive loss of productivity, especially in poor families. A lot of this can be prevented through timely eye check-ups and minor corrective operations. Also, as Dr. Bagchi pointed out, children must undergo a compulsory eye check-up, between the ages five and eight. Defects identified at this stage could easily be rectified, thus freeing up our youth from future eye defects and leading to fulfillment of careers that required a clear vision.

Why not open up basic eye centers at the district level with just a technician to undertake basic eye check ups? These centers could be connected to the Sushrut main hospital though the internet, thus enabling ‘online’ check-ups, diagnosis and treatment advise by the specialists. Finally, for cases requiring operation, the patients could be asked to visit Sushrut.  This would really be a great health initiative for the masses. Dr. Bagchi seemed intrigued by the idea. For the time being though, he was busy planning for the utilization of an adjacent plot of land offered to him by the government for setting up a “Center of Excellence”.

That night having completed the immigration and security check formalities, as I waited for Singapore Airlines to make its boarding announcement, I reflected on the experiences and insights of my mini ‘bharat darshan’ i.

Millions of slumdogs were aspiring to become millionaires all over the country! Most by fair means and some by means not so fair. Indeed, the Reserve Bank of India had a daunting challenge, reforming the financial system, trying to ensure maximum openness to technology- induced inclusiveness and at the same time ensuring minimum possibilities for misuse and fraud. By all accounts, it was doing a great job! It had already okayed mobile banking in a limited manner and had put in place an innovative policy for branchless banking to ensure financial inclusiveness.

Today, a poor migrant worker in a remote village can open a bank account with a commercial bank and carry out small deposit, withdrawal and remittance transactions without ever setting foot in the bank’s daunting premises! 

What came out over and over again was the fact that great levels of creativity, innovations, diligence, industry and ambition flowed from very modest infrastructural support and low-cost operations! This is something that is unbelievable in the western world and indeed even in other Asian countries. The end result is value-for-money and competitive strength in Slumdog-Land that is perhaps unparalleled.

Consider for example, the fact that the Indian Microfinance industry thrives on a 15% interest on their microloans whereas in the Philippines (and many other Asian countries), MFIs charge between 36 to 40% interest. The difference becomes all the starker when one realizes that the rate at which the MFIs themselves borrow funds is more or less the same in both these countries!

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i Bharat Darshan: Tour of India

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 path.

27th Feb 2009: After a lavish breakfast and handshakes, it was time for me to get back to earth although I would have liked to hang around in heaven for a day more. This time it was Jet Airways that ferried me from Trivandrum to Chennai and then to Kolkata without any further hiccups.  

On the way back, I reminisced about the various presentations made at the seminar. Various organizations were taking technology right up to the remote districts, not only to extend much-needed products and services, but also to open up income generating opportunities. As I had anticipated, the focus was on mobile applications, reducing infrastructural requirements. Mobile phones provided the cheapest technology-option for ‘slumdogs’ and the brightest minds were working overtime to create mobile-based applications for all kinds of services, right from healthcare, education to financial transactions.   

To be continued …

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 path.

26th Feb 2009: True to assurances, the Air India flight to Trivandrum took off on time and after a brief halt at Kochi, touched down at Trivandrum at 8.50 am. I was met at the gate by a representative of a resort, the venue for the seminar. As we sped off from the airport, a massive billboard with the message “IF KERALA IS GOD’S OWN LAND, THEN YOU ARE IN HEAVEN” caught my attention. I looked out at the surroundings, spotting nothing heavenly in particular. However the landscape somehow looked strikingly similar to that of Bengal. The greenery, thatched roofs, frequent canals and hyacinth-covered ponds all looked very familiar. The profusion of the red ‘sickle-and-hammer’ fluttering from every conceivable vantage point also added to this sense of familiarity.

By now, we had entered the resort premises. My luggage was taken care of and I was efficiently escorted to my allotted room. The place was delightful, with lots of swimming pools and guests enjoying the leisurely ambiance. A bit too hot and humid, but serene. From my room on the second floor, I could see the Arabian Sea gently lapping against the embankment, hardly hundred meters away! The hot bath after the sleepless night and a change of clothes felt heavenly indeed! I hurried to the seminar hall, well in time for my 11.15 slot.

My presentation went off rather well. The lunch break allowed me to catch up with the other participants, many of whom were known faces. The afternoon session, as usual was listless, the heavy lunch having taken its toll on even the sharpest of minds. So finally, when at 6 pm it was decided to call it a day, everyone seemed to be greatly relieved.  That evening we continued our conversations over cocktails and poolside dinner. The weather continued to remain sultry and windless. Everything else seemed heavenly.  

To be continued …

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 trajectory.

25th Feb 2009: Time to move once again. I bade goodbye to folks at MicroSave and Bhaskar and headed for the airport. Kingfisher … back to Delhi. However, Kingfisher was delayed by an hour and a half. The attractive food box was passed around by the ‘red riding hoods’ once again but this time my thought was on the next leg of the journey, from Delhi to Trivandrum. It would be a touch-and-go situation I realized. Although the pilot had asked us long back to ‘sit in the upright position’ for the approach to Delhi, a glimpse out of the window indicated ‘Delhi door hai’ i. The plane kept on circling in the overcrowded sky waiting for its turn to land 1. Finally when it did land and I followed the process of waiting for the transit bus and travelling from Terminal 1 to 1A lugging my belongings including the checked in baggage, the Air India Trivandrum flight had just departed! Kingfisher’s airport staff could offer no solutions at this hour of need, especially when the hassle was caused by delay on their part. Their booking office in terminal 1A reminded me of railway reservation counters of yester-years with a crowd to impatient people jostling around in front of the window and the ‘hand picked cherry’ behind the counter all at sea.

I was in a quandary, because I was now in grave danger of missing my presentation slot at the Seminar the next day at 11.15 am. It would be a great tactical blunder from the business point of view to have my speaking slot rescheduled! I wondered what could be done. The Air India counter nearby caught my attention. No crowds jostled around in from of it. I approached the counter and told the middle-aged gentleman my plight. “I have to be in Trivandrum by 9 am tomorrow”, I requested. Could he help?  Like a confident father quietly reassuring a nervous son before a crucial exam, he asked me not to worry.

“Take the 8 pm Air India flight to Mumbai” he said. “Then, take the flight to Trivandrum at 5.30 tomorrow. You will reach by 9 am, well in time for your seminar”. “Besides”, he added with a hint of sarcasm, “you can be assured that there will be no delay”.  “Shall I book the tickets”? He asked, sensing my relief. “Do you accept credit cards?” I asked tentatively. There had to be a catch somewhere, I thought. “Yes of course”, he said.  I asked him how much the total fare would cost and within seconds he gave me the amount. I could have used my credit card to cut short my agony, but decided to get in touch with Manish, the Administration Manager at MicroSave in Lucknow. I gave him the story and also the proposed next steps. He assured me that he would do the bookings at his end and send over the relevant reference numbers.

I parked myself in front of the Air India counter, fearful that the Air India folks might suddenly decide to pack up and call it a day. Mercifully no such thing happened and within fifteen minutes, someone from Manish’s office SMS-ed me the relevant PNR details of my booking. The e-ticket was also in my email, she confirmed. I stuck out my cell phone through the Air India window. The gentleman at the counter noted the number and within a minute I had the print out of my e-ticket from Delhi to Mumbai and from Mumbai to Trivandrum. I thanked the gentleman profusely and entered the terminal once again. It was only 6.30 pm. I still had time to kill before the 8 pm flight. I decided to go for a well earned coffee. Later, still having time to kill, I checked my e mails using the excellent wireless connectivity inside the terminal. I marveled at the no frills, no nonsense service of Air India. Real service, like real beauty is not skin deep, I realized. It came from deep within, from the confidence arising out of a solid network of facilities and years of relevant experience and maturity. By now the 8 pm Mumbai flight was ready for checking-in. “Jai Ho!” Air India, I said to myself and proceed towards the check in counter.

Later that night, having reached the departure lounge of the Mumbai airport I settled down with my laptop and wireless internet connectivity to while away the few hours before the counters opened for the early morning Trivandrum flight. There were many others like me.  

To be continued …

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i Dilli door hai: A phrase literally meaning ‘Delhi is still far away’. This phrase was originally attributed to a complacent emperor of Delhi who, in spite of repeated warnings, failed to respond timely to external threats, finally losing in battle to the invaders.

1 Much like the earlier mentioned software hovering in the sky, waiting for the hardware to be in place!

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 trajectory.

Nawabi Lucknow, 22nd Feb 2009: Sunday passed in ‘Nawabi’ style with nothing much to do. I sat at the computer for a while to complete a few pending reports and then spent the rest of the morning and afternoon, juggling with the infinite channels of the Tata Sky box.

That evening, I went out for a stroll. This part of the city reminded me of days spent in places like Bokaro, Jamshedpur and Sambalpur. Life moved at a very leisurely pace, no traffic tensions, one had the luxury of parking the car anywhere one felt like! The weather was cool, people were enjoying their Sunday evening out…visiting shops and eating gol-guppas and ice cream at the roadside stalls.

I enjoyed walking around and finally going back to Bhaskar’s rather bland vegetarian dinner. At dinner, I was introduced to Graham, the boss of MicroSave. Graham is British, with a Bangladeshi wife. He speaks fluent Bangla and when he tries Hindi, it sounds funny because he uses mostly Bangla words and tries to impart a Hindi touch, much in the manner of older generation Bengalis speaking Hindi with taxi drivers. 

The Slumdog’s Day of Glory, 23rd – 24th Feb:  Monday and Tuesday passed off in the MicroSave office, meeting people, preparing reports and proposals and submitting bills. On 24^th evening, I decided to visit the local Ameenabad market to do some shopping. Ameenabad is in the old quarters of the city of Lucknow, steeped in history. One has no option but to walk into the depths of this market due to the congestion. The rows upon rows of stalls stocked with the famous Lucknow ‘Chikan’ i and other handloom stuff leaves one spellbound! I managed to find my way into two of the shops that seemed promising from the outside.

The variety and designs overwhelmed me and I ended up picking up much more than what I had intended to. On the way back, I visited a Chinese restaurant near the guest house that I had earmarked during Sunday’s stroll. Inside, I ordered ‘mixed chow-mein’ and ginger chicken. As soon as the stuff was served, I realized that I would not be able to finish more that a third of the food. The remaining two thirds, I carried back to the guest house for breakfast the next morning.

On Monday morning came the news of ‘Slumdog Millionaire’ winning eight Oscars. Also, “Smile Pinky” the short documentary won the Oscar. The slumdogs and Pinky, whose village is not far from Lucknow, savored their moments of glory under the Hollywood spotlight. What a day for India! There are many who are against exposing the harsher realities of Indian life to the Western world. I beg to differ, because to me what comes out most positively is the indomitable Indian spirit, its optimism in spite of all odds and the ingenuity, creativity and resilience of the people at all levels.  It is the same spirit that fuels Rupaal Singh and his rag-tag group working out of the Ghaziabad hole-in-the wall to aspire to be a major microfinance innovator. It is the same spirit that motivates the school children of NOIDA to ‘flirt with genes’ from the confines of a 2ftX2ft, dusty, humid internet café cubicle.  

To be continued …

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i Chikan: Traditional embroidery style from Lucknow, India. Also denotes dresses made with such embroidered material (usually cotton)