The Hindu Business Line : `Can't stop this thing we started

STORY so far: There is fair progress in the investigation on illegal organ trade and, not surprisingly, some big names were involved in the racket. At work, I get busy with participating in the company's efforts to have the right antidote for the current worry — bird flu. Luckily, the city's chickens are healthy and poultry export is on the ascent.

Episode 63

Only the previous day, on the occasion of Bakrid, I was wishing my friends in the city, "Id-Mubarak." A festival that is about how the devout can come successful through testing times. Which is what was already happening, even as we celebrate growth and development.

There is this bombshell from the US on BPO (business process outsourcing) to India. There seemed to be hope, however, because the industry body, National Association of Software & Service Companies or NASSCOM, was organising an IT meet in Mumbai. And the boss had left a message in my inbox: "Swati, collect your ticket from Chandru."

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With about 700 participants, NASSCOM 2004 conference began on a note of positivism. It was a significant conclave that brought together analysts, IT gurus, CIOs and software professionals and industry honchos. The theme was not harping on getting more work and such but had loftier ideas such as maturity and credibility levels.

At least on public forums, it is predictable that speakers address the problems of have-nots and din into our ears the need for the industry to work towards the obliteration of the divide. When that did happen, I tried some doodling on my scribbling pad more to keep myself awake than to take notes of the proceedings.

After a few minutes, I finished drawing a big globe, with a line that split it into two halves. And to depict digital divide, I filled one half with ones and the other with zeros. Even as I was giving finishing touches, adding more ones and zeros, I was unaware that a TV camera had zoomed onto my notebook and beamed it all over the place.

"That's nice," said a voice from near me. "Thanks," I said reflexively, and looked up to see who was complimenting. "Oh," I half-gasped. It was Narayana Murthy. I was to hear the `Chief Mentor' share his view on more than one occasion during the conference.

There was a panel discussion on "The Billion Dollar Club" and what it takes to be a billion-dollar company. To get a firm foothold in the global markets, one has to create an enduring brand, strong infrastructure, establish best practices and have the right manpower, I learnt. The usual sceptic in me (and scepticism is something that professional accountants have to live with) told me that it would be futile to expect the panellists giving out the secrets of how they made $1 billion.

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One of the widely debated issues in the conference was the anti-BPO Bill that had taken a political colour in the US. "We are dismayed to learn about the Bill in the US Senate that restricts off-shoring of work contracted out by the US Government. This Bill is yet to become a law, and we hope that wiser counsel will prevail," noted NASSCOM.

"Such a Bill is not in keeping with the increasing globalisation of trade." We were, however, happy to learn that the business impact of such a move on Indian IT industry would be very small, because the share of US federal government contracts in exports of IT software and services from India is less than 2 per cent; but pained to know that the Indian Government had recently "decided to award two large contracts to US IT companies in connection with computerisation of the income-tax operations."

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When the chairman of Infosys spoke, we all hung on to every word. He was against any jingoism, and so advised against "grand standing in public". What would be more productive is to engage in bilateral discussions with the US to handle the sensitive issue of outsourcing backlash, he said.

I jotted down the names of IT associations in the US that he was mentioning — Information Technology Association of America and Computer System Policy Project — for later research. Well, here was somebody who looked simple and was also talking of things that I could understand even if I did not belong to core IT as a coder or developer.

No rhetorical approach is going to work, he emphasised. "We have to be seen as value creators, not job stealers," he said, drawing a big applause. That would happen only if those on the other side saw us as respecting free trade and growth of competition. Cost reduction is not everything. Let us concentrate on analytics and value-added BPO services rather than a call centre kind of activity, he exhorted.

By the time he finished, I had some notes to carry back to my boss, and also a sketch of Murthy saheb. When he passed by me in the aisle, he stopped briefly to ask, "Show me your drawing book."

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The `visa violation' story that hit the press days later was already doing its rounds in the conference room. I remembered what my teacher had told me, "Swati, when you perform well, you can become the scapegoat, unless you are careful."

True, I realised, because only when you do something, you can make mistakes. Those who don't, can't make mistakes. Even the negative publicity of BPO as a major evil, could be ignoring the truth. One speaker pointed out how for every dollar invested in the offshore space, $0.58 is directly saved.

"When you get your tax worry offloaded to your accountant, you can use that saved time for earning more," another speaker gave an analogy to BPO. "For the common man in the US, what is apparent is that jobs are going out. He or she is not an economist." It is a different story that often economists don't see the whole picture either.

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When I returned to my hotel room, it was cleaned up and tidy, a simple demonstration of how your life becomes easier if you are able to pay for services, and can earn more with the time and effort saved.

"Offshore is about global wealth creation, it's about integrating economies," a consultant had declared in the conference. Interestingly, the Bureau of Labour Statistics in the US is actually predicting a job gain — hold your breath — of about 22 million in the US by 2010, as against two million jobs lost due to offshoring.

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At the mailbox: "The system can be altered when persons who die are willing to donate organs before their demise," writes Mr M. Thangavelu, commenting on kidney commerce. "Tell me who will come forward to bell the cat? I am willing to donate my entire body to hospitals preferably to a government hospital, where the poor take treatment and who cannot afford to bear the huge expenses." That is a great gesture!

(To be continued)

Swati_CA@hotmail.com

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