Tour of Bangalore9/23/2007
Makarand provided commentary as our driver navigated the traffic. Even on a Sunday, our driving experiences became a highlight of the trip. Horns constantly blare as if the driver is saying, "Hey, everybody - I'm here!" I think they are actually used to remind everyone else that they are still alive. There are lines painted on the road, but those are ignored. I have never seen so many cars come so close to each other with no turn signals or other warning, except for the horns. Everyone blows his horn so the warning appears to have no effect. I had heard about this but it is something else to witness first hand. I also realized that seeing three people on a motorcycle is not the exception, but a normal means of getting around. I witnessed several families doing this. One woman sat sidesaddle, with a one year old on her lap. Only the husband was wearing a helmet. These types of conditions do not seem to affect Indians, who seem to be masters of surviving despite the odds being stacked against them. "Succeeding in spite of the government" is what some observers use to describe the success of Indian businesses in a Further down the road, we stopped in another craft shop, filled with elephants but also hand made rugs, and jewelry locked in individual glass cases. I had been surprised to find out that the first shop was government owned, receiving their goods from government owned factories around the state. I wondered what would motivate the government to run a craft shop, since there couldn't be much money in it, especially with 20 workers per shop. I asked Makarand how you can tell if shops like these are government or privately owned. He pointed out that the privately owned shops are smaller, and the customer service is much better. This was very apparent, since no one in the larger store seemed to care if we bought anything. In fact, one employee was asleep with her head on the counter. In contrast, all four employees that were crammed into the smaller store greeted us immediately. One approached me after some time and said, “You buy something now.” Apparently, my colleagues had all purchased something from the other staff’s sections. He pointed out that no one had bought anything from his section and that it was my job to do so. This is an example of what many business professionals and economists site as one of the main obstacles to India’s development. They argue that government controlled economies eventually lead to complacent, inefficient workers. Strict labor laws tie the hands of employers who strive for high productivity and are unable to fire workers who fail to show up or do sloppy work.
These people do not come across to me as lazy. When I look at the disheveled brothers, each about ten and seven years old, carrying their little sisters on one hip and tapping on every stranger’s arm insisting that they give money, I do not see a lazy child. I see my two sons, caring for their little brother, doing whatever it takes to eat that day. I see real motivation, determination and the spirit to overcome obstacles. If given a chance and a good education, these Indians would be star employees. Fortunately, a small percentage of Indians have grown up in dire conditions but made the most of the opportunity to gain a good education. These are the people that Infosys, Microsoft and Target are hiring as they outsource jobs Americans used to do, but that Indians will do for one fifth of the cost. Unfortunately for Americans who are unwilling to upgrade their skills, work hard to educate themselves and do what is necessary to eat, that small percentage of a country with over one billion people equates to hundreds of millions of motivated and educated potential employees. If the government would do what is necessary to improve the educational, social and economic conditions, those walking the streets today could be our next computer programmers tomorrow. |
Today we toured Bangalore, thanks to an Indian employee of Target Corporation. Our guide, Makarand Subhedar is an Indian from Mumbai who works in Target’s offshore facility here in Bangalore. He has also lived in the United States but moved here to take care of his parents. This is a common occurrence among Indians, many of whom cannot understand how Americans can place their elderly parents in retirement homes. This sometimes leads to the misperception that Americans do not value family.
country known for legendary bureaucracy. Still making the transition from its Socialist roots, India's government continues to control significant portions of the economy. I saw an example of this today, as we shopped along the streets. We walked into what I would describe as a fairly large "craft shop" which contained hundreds of intricately carved elephants and Hindu gods, along with silk scarves, ties and other such things. As we walked around, there seemed to be approximately 20 employees, where in the U.S. one might see up to three in the same size shop.
However, Indians are not lazy. Like the craft store owners in the smaller shop, there are millions of people working harder than many Americans, because they live in an environment where even a clean glass of water cannot be taken for granted. Many walk the street day in and day out, either trying to sell you trinkets or begging for money to buy food. They don't take no for an answer.