THE ROAD TO ORISSA AND BACK

THE ROAD TO ORISSA AND BACK   

From the journal of my adorable son

Abishek Bharadwaj

- abishekbh@gmail.com

It all started with me wanting to work at the grassroots after completing my masters in the US. When I started my assignment, I chose to take over the micro-hydro projects, staying out of Kalahandi, one of the remotest districts in India, a part of the infamous KBK region. Transitioning from Pittsburgh to Bhavanipatna was a challenge as expected, but at the end of one year I have experiences things far more intense than I had imagined.

In a new millennia with development paradigms redefined every decade in a developing country like India, Kalahandi is like none other. One can drive 50 kms at a stretch without lights and devoid of basic necessities. But who defines what people truly need? It is astonishing how these people settled in areas which possess quite a challenge to reach. All they cared about is an access to basic resources and fertile land, most often close to perennial streams and amongst vegetated hillocks. Elsewhere technology and capital prosperity are factors to determining a future. There are superfluous amounts of money flowing into the district only for lack of ingenuity, extortion and fraudulency to mirror any positive intent, rendering hopelessness.

I came to work in the village of Punjam, which is situated at a distance of 60 kms from the nearest town. Placed in a valley surrounded by beautiful hills and amidst two perennial streams, this 110 household village, comprising mostly of tribals is one of a kind. The soil is incredibly fertile and the climate is apt to grow absolutely anything under the sun.

My one year in Kalahandi has changed me quite a bit. Since the organization’s focus was not micro-hydro, I was working independently on the project. I was responsible for the technical, social and financial implementation of the project with no support whatsoever. I started off in Punjam, not knowing the language and my communication was initially all sign language, only later to pick up a language that I called Okhra, a major concoction of Oriya, Hindi and Kui (a tribal language).

I was stationed at Bhavanipatna, where I worked with a local workshop team that fabricated the turbine and an electrical winding person who helped install the project. Staying in a shady room, scavenging for decent food and water, withstanding temperatures as low as 1 degree and as high as 48 degrees were a part of the craziness in this lackadaisical town where intermittent telephone signal and incessant power cuts were accepted as inadequacies of technology.

I should say I enjoyed working in the beautiful micro-hydro environments where a perennial stream and steep terrains amongst thick jungles are pre-requisites. Understanding the tribal way of life and innovating my way through to blend in the technology with few available resources worsened by unsuitable terrains and remoteness, were indeed positive takeaways. There were lots to experience from riding through streams, staying in malarial endemic conditions without contacting the virus and just about avoiding being washed away by a flashflood. Revisiting these memories what I would love to share were the last two weeks of the project which has certainly left an eternal print.

Fighting against time because of pressure from the funders, I had to complete the project in two weeks; I had great help from a Sri Lankan friend Ajith Kumara, who is by far the most talented barefoot engineer I have worked with. He supplied the Electronic Load Controller (ELC), a very essential part of the project and boy…was it good! The plan was to provide the street lights as soon as possible and then work on the supplying the power to the houses while concurrently tuning the ELC against the street light load. Persistent unyielding rains were acting like a persuasive force against the progress of the project. Slushy roads made it impossible to traverse the road in a vehicle and we had to walk 6 kms off road just to reach the village which also included wading through the bulging stream. Ajith and I had long working days which involved an average of 16 kms walk. I took care of the affairs at the village while Ajith was working out of the powerhouse situated 2kms uphill from the village. Communication was a challenge as the village does not have phone lines. We devised innovative strategies to work in tandem and to test the supply.

It took nearly two days to test and supply power to the street lights. Punjam received its first light on 31<sup>st of July, 2012, which is also ironically the day a significant part of India had a blackout due to a grid failure. Punjam did not realize the failure of the modern world and its energy options as they already become self-reliant with their alternative energy option lighting their streets. That was certainly a significant progress.

A bizarre incident marred the usual excitement in the villagers with the first shine of light. Apparently the local goddess (Devi) was flustered by the light which punctured the quintessential darkness that absorbed the way of life in the village till then. The spirit of the Devi embodied a maiden in the village resulting in her losing control of herself. I witnessed the incident with circumspect as these beliefs were archaic for my urbane way of thought and I initially believed it was all staged. But the maiden’s uncontrolled continuous shivering coupled with rising body temperature and incongruous inscrutable lamenting convinced me that she was naturally in a state of dementia. According to the villagers the only way of placating the Devi was to perform a tribal pooja or a ritual the following day at the dam site, since the micro-hydro project was held accountable for the occurrence of this. The ritual was performed with a tribal priestess involving a sacrifice of a goat so that the Devi is satiated with the goat’s life thereby departing the maiden’s body. The sacrifice was undertaken by a trained villager with an exquisite two generations old antique axe. The goat’s neck is to be slashed by a single blow, devoid of which the entire ritual will have to be repeated and indeed the sacrifice was done with great dexterity. Though I was in opposition to the sacrifice of the goat, I was certainly intrigued by the turn of events following the ritual, where the maiden reclaimed her normal self after a short slumber. When I interrogated her out of curiosity, the maiden declared that she does not have the faintest idea of what happened and the entire night snatched from her into oblivion.

The following week was equally exciting with us supplying power to each household. Ajith and I worked assiduously in installing the safety equipments, energy meters and checking the house wiring in all the 110 homes before energizing them. We trained the operators selected by the village committee to handle the system in our absence and counseled them through the week on maintaining it in order. The celebration in the village commenced very early in the day with almost the entire village intoxicating themselves at the advent of energy lighting their houses. Most of them were too inebriated to grasp the gravity of the moment the lights were actually turned on. However, I did bask in satisfaction from the ecstatic reactions radiated by the sober few. The quality of AC power supplied to the houses was flawless illustrating a perfect sinusoidal wave in our oscilloscope. I could not have asked for anything better after a years’ toil.

By then I had already put in my papers and those were the last few days of my stay in Kalahandi before I set out for my next phase of life in a more urban setting. Ajith and I bid our goodbyes to Punjam and Bhawanipatna before embarking on our journey back to the head office at Berhampur. Settled in the bus, Ajith and I finally got time to reflect back and discuss the project. After the adrenaline levels and exhaustion at its peak we were enjoying the sobriety. Even in our wildest dreams we wouldn’t have sermonized what we had in store that night. Around 12:30, while we were travelling through the forest in Kandhemal, our bus was stopped and 6 men with glossy INSAS guns entered the bus. Yes it really happened, the maoists had information that a cop was travelling with us and they needed him. They quickly examined all the potential men to find the cop. I was particularly scared for Ajith, as he was a foreigner had does not understand a word of the perfect Hindi the maoists communicated in. The maoists were not convinced with our answers and they decided to haul the bus off road into the pitch dark forest for about 400 mts. After we parked they asked every man in the bus to disembark in singles for interrogation at gun point. Ajith and I fortunately were sitting at far end of the bus, much to my dislike, till then. With a comrade standing right next to us, I had to whisper to Ajith, explaining what was happening as he was completely lost and was almost thinking it was some weird drill. I was concurrently harassing myself to come up with a plan as I absolutely would not know how they would react when Ajith’s turn comes. Again fortunately when Ajith’s turn came we were called in pairs. This greatly relieved me, as I can be the mouth for Ajith too. The interrogation at gun point was certainly harrowing and this happened for 15 minutes. Lots of questions asked, lots answered and they let us get back into the bus with empty pockets! We were held hostage for almost 3 hours till they were convinced none of us were cops and finally much to our bliss, the ordeal ended. We then drove to the nearest police station where there was CRPF presence, only for them to deny accepting that we were stopped by maoists and they filed a report saying we were mugged by conventional low grade armed dacoits. There is so much to talk with respect to naxals and the few I had met and the state’s frustrating stance against the movement. I will probably write a separate piece on that.

This maoists incident almost serendipitously happened just to make me aware that I had not experienced enough and needed this to complete the cycle, just like an icing on the cake, only layered much thicker and will stay longer in my memory! At the end of one year I can say I am multi-dimensionally enriched and am proud of changing something in the lives of 400 people, and this exactly between the Independence days of 2011 and 2012. Jai Hind!</sup>

Thought for the day:

"Education is not studying for examinations, clearing them, earning marks and then a degree, but, what is really important in life is to retain that which you learnt for the exam, and those you were not tested on. You develope yourself by applying your learning appropriately with relevance too, to your work and life and experience a joy. That is what will keep you well on track for a balanced life." ~ TSK. Raman

"Character cannot be developed in ease and quiet. Only through experience of trial and suffering can the soul be strengthened, ambition inspired, and success achieved." ~ Helen Keller

"We can throw stones, complain about them, stumble on them, clim over them, or build with them." ~ William Arthur Ward

" The greater the tension, the greater is the potential."~ Carl Jung (1875–1961) Swiss psychiatrist

"Kites rise highest against the wind, not with it." ~ Winston Churchill

"Joy is the simplest form of gratitude." ~ Karl Barth

"I am grateful for all of my problems. After each one was overcome, I became stronger and more able to meet those that were still to come. I grew in all my difficulties." ~ James Cash Penney, 1875-1971, Founder of J.C. Penney Stores

"You've only got three choices in life: Give up, give in, or give it all you've got." ~ Unknown

Calmness in Chaos

Author unknown

Once upon a time there was a king who ruled a certain country and was known far and wide for the way in which he ruled his land always seeking the welfare of his subjects.

Also known for his artistic tastes, he decided to hold a competition for painters. On a fixed day painters came from far and wide to display their skills. With all humility he was endowed with, he acknowledged them and urged them to create the best they can.

The competition began and all the artists assembled there began their painting.
After about three or four hours all of them had painted what they had conceived.
The king went about seeing all of them and spent time talking to each of the creators to understand their creations.

Some of them had painted beautiful landscapes, some painted the mountains, some the seas, some the stars and the sky, some the villages and the scenes etc.
All of them were beautiful in their own way.

It was now time for making the decision and announcing who was the best.
After he saw every one of the paintings, and evaluating the paintings on their merits, he chose to award one painting that projected a thunderous waterfall, with strong winds blowing the trees and heavy dark clouds hovering in the sky. Amidst this chaos, just near the falls was a bird's nest in which the older bird was feeding its child.

The painters and people were pretty surprised about the king's choice and one of them dared to ask the king for the logic behind his selection.

The king replied, he chose to award that painting the best because he saw "Calmness in Chaos." Amidst, the thunderous waterfall, the violent winds, bending trees, impending storm, a bird unmindful of all the chaos around it was feeding its child as if nothing is happening around it. Everyone applauded the king for his wisdom and choice.

What can such a story and such a wise thing teach us in modern times where we are all living in a chaotic world.
My thoughts on that...

 

It is undeniable that we are caught up with many things every given day. Man has created things by learning, understanding and using technology, which has definitely made our lives comfortable. However, the fact is, we are all living life in a mad rush, forgetting the fact that we do things to make a living, and, we ought not to make our living be dominated by those things we created around us for convenience.

Can we imagine living in a world of today minus the mobile, the computer, the internet etc.?

The answer would be an emphatic, "No."

Accepted.

But did people in the not so long ago past live minus these gizmos and did they not go to create some things that enable mankind take a big step forward in civilization like for instance – invention of wheel, saw a revolution of creations like the carts, cycles, trains, cars, etc. that enabled him go distances in lesser time. Looking at the birds and wanting to fly man made his flight in the sky on an aero plane and taking it all forward he also landed on the moon. The radio, the telephone, T.V. etc., was all man's creations much before the technology revolution. All of this was because of his curiosity and so the Edison's, the Einstein's, the Graham Bell's etc., are all people who are remembered even to this day.

Suddenly over the last two decades or so everything seems to have changed so drastically that we would be left behind if we are not able to upgrade ourselves.
And that is the right thing to do.

However, too much of everything is 'bad,' they say and that's what the state of our lives is today.

We seemed to get worked up very easily - we get upset if the

・E mobile signals don't reach your mobile
・E mobile stops working because of a technical problem
・E computer hangs while working
・E internet is down
・E the chosen internet sites do not open

These are just a few examples cited on how we react when things go wrong. After all these are all our own creations. The ripple effects of these failures have a bearing on the way we react and the we behave be it at work, or the house or where ever.

We have become very short-fused, we have lost control over ourselves. Everyone blows out at the slightest. Like things can go wrong very quickly our relationship too go wrong easily. Divorces, suicides, misunderstandings, arguments etc., are all a result of our dependencies and the way they work.

I do not want to suggest that am old-fashioned in my thinking, nor would I want to start saying anything like, "In those days..." I do not deny that technology has done wonders to our living, however, I would like to urge people to keep it under limits and also enjoy things around them.

Just see this for an example, we have known days when plastic was not heard of. Plastic emerged and came to stay. People hailed its arrival and found it convenient. Over a period of time people have realized the harm it can cause to argi produce and the nature. Now there is a world-wide call to 'ban' plastics.

Another example is the felling of trees. In order to meet the growing demands of providing houses, better roads, electricity etc., man pulled down trees and met his wants. With this forest began to shrink in size, it started effecting the climate world over calling it 'global-warming.' It has affected rainfall, and because of that most rivers are running dry, the ice on the poles is melting and the seas are swelling because of melting ice. Earthquakes, tsunamis are most common occurrence. Man suddenly finds his existence threatened and so today we want to fight against that and we want to plant more trees etc.

Good at least now people have been to recognize this and are making efforts, but the fact is it is just a small population of the world that seeks to live in "Calmness around the Chaos," where as there are many who think these people are crazy impractical dreamers and that they seem to be the only intelligent people who know how to use time, money and all the resources available at their mercy to make more than a living.

Be it that way, as here too the same rule will apply 20% of the people all over the world look after the welfare of the other 80%.

Decide whether you would want to be among the 20% or the 80% it's your life anyway, but we are interested in ing mankind survive. We owe it to the generation that it is yet to come, we want to leave this earth much the same way as we inherited.

To All My Seniors in IDL Chemicals Limited

Dear Hon'ble Seniors,
I take this as a opportunity to thank the almighty for bestowing on me such a wonderful and envious life. I am very proud of every accomplishment thus far in my life, and I quickly add, I haven't reached a plateau, I have many more miles to cover before I sleep.
Part 1.
My humblest pranams apart from everyone firstly to Mrs. Pramila Nanda, who was my first boss when I started my career even before I got into IDL. It happened by chance, thought today I might say it was 'God's Will, and his Gift of Future to me." Mrs. Pramila Nanda was my first boss in IDL too, however to me she was much much more that that, she was my mentor, coach, guide, well-wisher et all. She was an integral part of the first half of my professional life, and has been pretty instrumental in making me in many ways what I am today. May her tribe increase. An 'incredible lady' in every sense of the word, for me a "treasure."

Next after that would be my to everyone else who presided over my life. Everyone who crossed my path, encouraging or discouraging, whatever it may have been, known or unknown, deliberately or accidentally, all of them have taught me something in life which is worth it's weight in gold. They can be inscribed on the tombs of time in letters of 'diamond' 'paltinum' or any invaluble thing that those who see in the future shall be proud of. Looking at the several things that are prevalent in our country in present time, I can vouch my life to say, we all lived and lead an 'exemplary life.' We can all lift our collar's with pride ... read this story which will spell out more. We were a part of this club the Ex-IDL Club ...

I've been very keenly following every mail that's been flowing, it's been perennial. Wish really the rivers in India flow as much and as these memories, thoughts and strings of gratitude from our colleagues, dispersed across geographies. It's not only nice to read it but also nice to savor to such an extent that it transports you in time to relive the past, despite the present circumstances - personal or otherwise.

It's amazing how times flies and can remember this vividly, I was schooling in St. Patrick's High School, Secunderabad and one of them from our neighborhood asked an uncle of mine if he was interested in a job and so he landed in IDL, appointed into the crimping shop. Facilities were good salary, free pick up and drop, subsidized wholesome canteen milk, free tea when you check into work and about to leave and that to virtually at your door step.

Now all these things and that too around 50 years ago is something that is super-visionary, and that could come in only for one of the finest gentlemen I have met on this planet, and that's our Late Sri. M. Varadarajan.

Part 2.
I am far too junior to most of them in this august gathering, however, this flows from my heart freely and that too with my head bowed in reverence.

To me and am sure that there would be many in this group who will swear by this fact that he made many homes, many lives. I will not be surprised that his picture would be in their pooja rooms along with the Gods on display. I'm not being a sycophant, by any stretch of imagination. I say this with absolute authority as I have spent the other half of my professional life in IT. My journey in this space has brought me in touch with some leading lights on the global IT map. The world has acknowledged many of them for all of their accomplishments, however, to me all of them come only after our Late Sri. M. Varadarajan. So I would first offer my gratitude to him where ever he is to let him know that even my life was one that he molded. I can hardly recall a single day that he doesn't cross my mind. When I see books written by and about the IT czars, a book of Late Sri Varadarajan if it were realized a few years ago, might have sold a million copies. What ever he conceived, he put it to action, followed it up, gave all the support it deserved be it in terms of money, workforce or expertise, he provided it all to ensure it worked. People talk abut Infosys, WIPRO, TCS, Cognizant, NIIT, Satyam etc., these companies were started by people who were at the right place at the right time doing the right thing, with again people like Dr. Sam Pitroda, the then Scientifc Adviser to the Prime Minister on Science and Technology. That gave it the boost, for a new industry, and the rest is history. So to me they contributed to the National exchequer wonderfully well, and also amassed a lot of personal wealth as they figure in the Forbes list of some of the richest people in the world. I feel proud being an Indian, but that's it. Their feeling for people who worked for them or their companies do not go beyond some very closely trusted colleagues. Their talks on platforms and forums about the people who work for them is good to the ears, but not to the hearts as everyone involved within knows that the company can't be without them and so they take a lot of money for what they deliver, the rest they take it as a bonus. So the underlying thing for me is the lack of real passion on both sides.

Part 3
Let's go back to history for a moment again, a highly charged, passionate, and ambitious young man around 38 years, decides to start a company manufacturing industrial explosives, puts the seed money - authorized capital of Rs.8,00,000, all from his own sources. Builds a small band of people to assist him on his mission, scouts for land in the out skirts, ensures that lots of it is available (keeping in mind future expansion + safety). takes it on long term lease and starts off. I now wonder how he would have located people whom he wanted on his venture and on his team to take his mission forward. I'm sure he wouldn't ever have said there is a talent crunch, because in those days while people were brilliant, they would be in secure government jobs, and to convince them with his story would call for extra-ordinary narration skills. He could do it because of his honesty and sincerity of purpose. For him welfare of everyone around him was an equally big concern. Growing from the grass root level, working on the mission of import substitution, working within the framework of all statutory conditions laid by the government, using every little scheme that supported his cause, he built a self-dependent future not only for the one's who worked with him, but for the nation too. That is what to me is passion in every aspect. He didn't ever flaunt his wealth and was modest as ever, in what he wore and swore. He lived as much as know in a leased accomodation, drove an Ambassador or Fiat car (could have very well afforded a Mercedes, but chose not to). I can go on and on like this, and you all know yourselves as you have seen him in 'flesh and bones.' He was walking along side us a 'towering personality' he was.
Part 4
If the late Dr. Kurien was called the man behind the "white revolution," and Dr. M.S. Swaminathan was the man behind the "green revolution" and awarded the Padma's (Sri, Bhushan and Vibhushan), I believe late Sri Mudumbai Varadarajan should have been recognized along side them because in real terms he was the one who started making explosives - technology imported but manufacturing it indigenously, were as the only other company in existence at that time was importing explosive and just assembling them in India.

Again going back further deeper into history Alfred Noble was cursed for his inventing the dynamite, but that later paved the way for using the same destructive material for very constructive purposes, like becoming a boon for miner's of the future.

Part 5.
Today, it has gone even further, as all the new mines are open-cast, whereas the old one's are underground still. Here again Mr. Varadarajan excelled as his frequent travels abroad to gain first hand information on developments and technology enabled him to foresee this change and start the bulk loading system closer to the mines and delivered straight into drilled holes by trucks. The best possible in every aspect, commercially effective and safely too. I sometimes wonder what all he would have done if only he had the Google and the Mobiles and the I-Pads at his disposal.

His vision on technology was again unparallel - The thought on Solar Energy, the use of Cold Bitumen, High Explosives Bulk Loading System etc., were all way ahead of time. And today all of these things have become a default practice of people pursuing it vigorously campaigning hard for adaptation. If he were there amidst us today, I am sure he would have taken no credit what so ever for any of these, but would have named some of his trusted advisers like late MSN, late KSV, the VCK, MND, Dr. AKC, VYT, Dr. KC, ......

On the welfare side, the establishment of diary farm, the Diagnostic health Check Up scheme, the IDL Rural Development Trust, the family planning policy, Children's Education Assistance, Housing Loan to the Management staff etc., has no parallel. All those beneficiaries or these or some of these schemes will endorse what I say. To say the least it was amazing and it came from a man who loved the people he was engaged with. He trusted them and earned their respect all the way. He was a true leader in every sense of the word.

I am stopping with this for now as missing out on any would mean bad, but believe me he would have acknowledged everyone for all that they did to make him what he was. His modesty would be unbelievable.

I have learnt more that one or two things - IDL didn't just give me bread but it taught me the skill of kneading the dough to make "bread" all my life and to make a living of it all.

This story that follows will elaborate several other learning's in life, and the credit for all this goes to my formative years in which IDL is included.

Thank God For The TATA's, By L. N. Mittal

It is one thing for all of us to compliment Tata's, but this compliment coming from their prime global competitor (Lakshmi Mittal,currently fourth richest man in the world.), is indeed THE ultimate compliment. It makes us all proud and proves even in today's selfish, greedy and egoistic world, there is nothing higher than core Zoroastrian values.

Note what Mr. Mittal has to say-about Tata's managing Director being humble and smiling silently with humility .

Moreover, they are very eco conscious, the clarion call of this age, a basic Zoroastrian tenet. (you just might want to compare that with BP) .

A lesson to the greed-driven corporate culture of the world. May there be many Jamshedpur like cities around the globe.

A TRIBUTE - Thank God For The TATA’s.

By Lakshmi Mittal

As Lakshmi Mittal says ......... we have more to be proud of than what the Infosys and Wipro's of India provide ...........

I visited Jamshedpur over the weekend to see for myself an India that is fast disappearing despite all the wolf-cries of people like Narayanamurthy and his ilk.

It is one thing to talk and quite another to do and I am delighted to tell you that Ratan Tata has kept alive the legacy of perhaps India's finest industrialist, J.N. Tata.

Something that some people doubted when Ratan took over the House of the Tata's but in hindsight, the best thing to have happened to the Tata's is unquestionably Ratan.

I was amazed to see the extent of corporate philanthropy and this is no exaggeration.

For the breed that talks about corporate social responsibility and talks about the role of corporate India, a visit to Jamshedpur is a must.

Go there and see the amount of money they pump into keeping the town going; see the smiling faces of workers in a region known for industrial unrest; see the standard of living in a city that is almost
isolated from the mess in the rest of the country.

This is not meant to be a puff piece. I have nothing to do with Tata Steel, but I strongly believe the message of hope and the message of goodness that they are spreading is worth sharing.

The fact that you do have companies in India which look at workers as human beings and who do not blow their software trumpet of having changed lives.

In fact, I asked Mr. Muthurman, the managing director, as to why he was so quiet about all they had done and all he could offer in return was a smile wrapped in humility, which said it all.

They have done so much more since I last visited Jamshedpur, which was in 1992. The town has obviously got busier but the values thankfully haven't changed. The food is still as amazing as it always was and I gorged, as I would normally do. I visited the plant and the last time I did that was with Russi Mody. But the plant this time was gleaming and far from what it used to be. Greener and cleaner and a tribute to environment management. You could have been in the mountains. Such was the quality of air I inhaled!

There was no belching smoke, no tired faces and so many more women workers, even on the shop floor.

This is true gender equality and not the kind that is often espoused at seminars organised by angry activists.

I met so many old friends. Most of them have aged but not grown old. There was a spring in the air which came from a certain calmness which has always been the hallmark of Jamshedpur and something I savoured for a full two days in between receiving messages of how boring and decrepit the lack lustre Fashion Week was.

Jamshedji Nusserwanji Tata had created an edifice that is today a robust company and it is not about profits and about valuation. It is not about who becomes a millionaire and who doesn't'. It is about
getting the job done with dignity and respect keeping the age-old values intact and this is what I learnt.

I jokingly asked someone as to whether they ever thought of joining an Infosys or a Wipro and pat came the reply: "We are not interested in becoming crorepatis but in making others crorepatis."

Which is exactly what the Tata's have done for years in and around Jamshedpur.

Very few people know that Jamshedpur has been selected as a UN Global Compact City, edging out the other nominee from India, Bangalore. Selected because of the quality of life, because of the conditions of sanitation and roads and welfare. If this is not a tribute to industrial India, then what is?

Today, Indian needs several Jamshedpur’s but it also needs this Jamshedpur to be given its fair due, its recognition. I am tired of campus visits being publicises to the Infosys and the Wipro's of the world.

Modern India is being built in Jamshedpur as we speak. An India built on the strength of core convictions and nothing was more apparent about that than the experiment with truth and reality that Tata Steel is conducting at Pipla.

Forty-eight tribal girls (yes, tribal girls who these corrupt and evil politicians only talk about but do nothing for) are being educated through a residential program over nine months. I went to visit them and I spoke to them in a language that they have just learnt: Bengali.

Eight weeks ago, they could only speak in Sainthali, their local dialect. But today, they are brimming with a confidence that will bring tears to your eyes. It did to mine.

One of them has just been selected to represent Jharkand in the state archery competition. They have their own women's football team and what's more they are now fond of education. It is a passion and not a burden.

This was possible because I guess people like Ratan Tata and Muthurman haven't sold their souls to some business management drivel, which tells us that we must only do business and nothing else.

The fact that not one Tata executive has been touched by the Naxalites in that area talks about the social respect that the Tata's have earned.
The Tata's do not need this piece to be praised and lauded.

My intent is to share the larger picture that we so often miss in the haze of the slime and sleaze that politics imparts. My submissions to those who use phrases such as "feel-good" and "India Shining" must first visit Jamshedpur to understand what it all means.

See Tata Steel in action to know what companies can do if they wish to. And what corporate India needs to do.

Murli Manohar Joshi would be better off seeing what Tata Steel has done by creating the Xavier Institute of Tribal Education rather than by proffering excuses for the imbroglio in the IIMs.

This is where the Advani's and Vajpayee’s need to pay homage. Not to all the Sai Babas and the Hugging saints that they are so busy with. India is changing inspite of them and they need to realise that. I couldn't have spent a more humane and wonderful weekend. Jamshedpur is an eye-opener and a role model, which should be made mandatory for replication.

I saw corporate India actually participate in basic nation-building, for when these tribal girls go back to their villages, they will return with knowledge that will truly be life-altering. Corporate India can do it but most of the time is willing to shy away.

For those corporate leaders who are happier winning awards and being interviewed on their choice of clothes, my advice is visit Tata Steel, spend some days at Jamshedpur and see a nation's transformation. That is true service.

Tata Steel celebrated 100 years of existence in 2007. It isn't just a milestone in this company's history.
It will be a milestone, to my mind of corporate transparency and generosity in this country.
It is indeed fitting that Ratan Tata today heads a group that has people who are committed to nation building than just building influence and power.

JRD must be smiling wherever he is. And so must Jamshedji Nusserwanji.
These people today have literally climbed every last blue mountain.
And continue to do so with vigour and passion.

Thank God For The Tatas!