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Rasheeda Bhagat

Najaf , Oct. 16

AT the moment Iraq is a rich hunting ground for business opportunities; not only of the huge variety holding the interest of global business conglomerates but also at the middle and smaller levels.

That is why, on the ship, Jabal Ali 1, which has recently resumed its passenger service from Dubai to the Umm Qasar port of Basra, there was quite a presence of businessmen from Dubai, Saudi Arabia and other countries.

Even Iraqis settled in Australia were returning home after 12 years to scout for business opportunities.

Prominent in the dining area of the ship was the group of about 40 Nepalese gurkhas who were being taken by a British agent for a big British security agency in Baghdad. Every day the Englishman would conduct lectures and classes for the Nepalese men who were about the only passengers on the ship who spoke Hindi. That is not to mention the crew of the ship, which was almost entirely Indian, having a representation from many states of India, with the Malayali presence being undoubtedly the strongest!

With security being the primary concern of the occupying forces in Iraq, this is one area where there is a huge demand. While India continues to balk at the Bush administration's request to send Indian peacekeeping troops to Iraq, there is no reason why Indian security agencies should not cash in on this huge opportunity.

IOC and other oil majors from India have already evinced interest in the massive task of rescuing the oil exploration and refining industry from the state of obsolescence and decay to which it had shrunk during the long years of UN sanctions against the Saddam regime.

But there are going to be huge opportunities for skilled and unskilled labour from India in the reconstruction of not only the oil but other sectors as well.

After all, hasn't a Dubai, Sharjah or Abu Dhabi become glittering, modern cities on the back of invaluable Indian labour? There are going to be opportunities galore for carpenters, masons, electricians and the like and Indian recruiting agencies are bound to get into the act as soon as they can convince the families of these personnel that Iraq has finally become a safe place to live and work in. But that might be a tad bit too late.

As one struggled to locate a single Internet café in Karbala and managed to find a few in Najaf, it became apparent that this is an area which beckons the Indian IT industry. The Internet café that I used in Najaf had at least 15 computers. The connection was instant though the line was a little slow.

As one waited impatiently for one's messages to get across, glancing around the place, it was evident that not too many Iraqis know what the computer is all about.

Even those who have handled computers are hardly aware of how the Internet works. So the cafe owner's help and expertise was required every moment to open a particular site or send e-mail. A couple of little kids appeared to be much more dexterous and knowledgeable about how to use the Internet. An NIIT or SSI is bound to do booming business here, but the most important thing would be to get a hang of the Arabic language because English language capability is severely limited all over Iraq.

One thing is certain though... with salaries being upgraded several fold by the occupying forces prodding the local administration to do so, the Iraqis who do have jobs would be willing to pay a handsome sum for computer literacy courses.

Another obvious area where business opportunities beckon is the auto industry.

On the same ship, both used and unused cars were being transported to Iraq. One was told that these come to Iraq without valid papers and Customs duty and it is possible to buy a brand new mid-segment car in Iraq for just $3000.

While the lanes and bylanes of Najaf are in an atrocious condition, the highways connecting the major cities are in a surprisingly good shape and huge trucks and tankers are plying petroleum products and other goods into the country.

Japanese auto majors like Toyota and Nissan have a good presence but there is certainly room for a Tata, Maruti or Ashok Leyland, which are bound to find immense opportunities here. But one area which seems to be virgin territory, at least in cities like Najaf and Karbala, is the paint industry as you hardly find buildings that are painted. Many of the buildings have yet to finish the plastering job and when that happens, paint manufacturers will have a field day. Bollywood is already famous here... and both Anwaar and Basima, two women professionals from Baghdad, are already swearing by Aamir Khan and Shahrukh Khan.

"Indian heroes are so handsome," they gushed. India, or `Hind' as it is widely known in Iraq, has a lot of goodwill and it came as a real relief not to meet a single Iraqi who asked about the events in Gujarat last year.

That is a far cry from South Asian countries like Pakistan, Sri Lanka or Bangladesh, or even a Sweden, where you invariably get asked about Gujarat.

On the contrary, Iraqis are thrilled to be told that there are about 150 million Muslims in India!

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